Daily Herald disputes Long Grove candidates' mailer

While the Daily Herald editorial board strives to weigh all issues in an election before making its endorsement, it usually weighs in afterward only if its members believe their endorsement is being distorted in the campaign.

Such was the case after a recent mailer in the Long Grove trustee race appeared to imply the Daily Herald had endorsed an entire slate when in fact the newspaper had endorsed only one of its members.

"In my opinion, it's an unconscionable effort to mislead voters and misrepresent who we actually endorsed," said Daily Herald Assistant Manager Editor/Opinion Jim Slusher.

The mailer paid for by the campaign committee of incumbent Trustee Charlie Wachs and his running mates Stan Razny and Steve Sintetas uses the Daily Herald logo at the top of both sides, as well as quotes or partial quotes attributed to the paper's March 4 endorsement editorial.

In that editorial, the Daily Herald endorsed incumbents Wachs and Stanley Borys - the anchors of opposing slates - as well as Bill Jacob from Borys' slate.

The endorsement concluded that all six candidates were qualified, despite the two slates' differing visions.

"Electing one slate, though, could result in a board too cozy, while electing the other could result in a board too skeptical or too divided," the editorial reads.

On one side of the campaign mailer, the names of Jacob, Borys and running mate Michael Sarlitto are followed by the quote "...too skeptical or too divided" along with an attribution to the March 4 Daily Herald editorial.

Wachs said the mailer was not intended to distort the Daily Herald's position, but to state his own slate's belief its opponents were "too skeptical or too divided."

Also, on the other side of the mailer, is an arrow pointing to the names of Wachs, Razny and Sintetas containing the phrase "Vote for the 'Top Three' candidates for a responsible Long Grove Board."

The word "Endorsed" is stamped at the top of the list of names, below the Daily Herald logo, though only Wachs was endorsed by the paper.

Wachs said no attempt at distortion was intended. He said his slate is merely trying to state its positions in a race he called increasingly negative.

Slusher said that while he's pleased the slate has placed such value on the Daily Herald's endorsement, he wished the mailer would have reported it accurately.