FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

I would like to set the record straight on an incident that occurred Sunday, November 3rd in the Fourth Ward.

In anticipation of Tuesday’s election, many volunteers were in the Fourth Ward going door-to-door for write-in candidate for Alderman, Ron Camacho. During the entire weekend, I received many disturbing reports of Fernando Barrios harassing several females who volunteered for the Camacho write-in campaign. Mr. Barrios was taking pictures and video of the volunteers to intimidate the volunteers and deter their hard work. Although those reports were upsetting to me, what I found most alarming were the reports I received that Mr. Barrios was stealing campaign literature out of residents’ mailboxes. By way of background, a lot of hard work and time has gone into the efforts of my team to spread the word of our opponent’s criminal history of stealing from the collection plate in church and stealing from the elderly; Dover voters need to know the truth about that candidate and Mr. Barrios was taking that truth from them. This all came to a head when I personally witnessed Mr. Barrios stealing mail from a mailbox. At that point, I admit that I lost my temper. While I apologize and regret using inappropriate language during the encounter, I do not apologize for defending and standing up for the residents of the Fourth Ward. Despite my opponents’ contention, my words were never directed to Ms. Blackman and were solely directed to Mr. Barrios.

This is an important election for the people of Dover, the voters have a right to have all the information and engage in an honest debate about the candidates. I do not regret confronting Mr. Barrios, but I do wish I chose my words more carefully. My character will not be defined by a 50 second video taken completely out of context.

I will offer no further comment on this matter, as I understand that there is an on-going criminal investigation of Mr. Barrios relative to his actions on Sunday.