WEST COUNTY TIMES

Friday, November 3, 1995
Section: Opinion
Page: A11
Column: Readers' Forum

Darrell Reese, under the guise of Firefighters Local 188, has mailed his first hit piece directed at me. Why? Because his polls show I am a front-runner in this election and the greatest threat to the candidates whose campaigns he is funding.

I was targeted because I alone had the courage to publicly face him and expose him as the bagman for special interests. In the past 10 years, Reese and Local 188 PAC have been the largest single contributor in Richmond elections. For his opponents, mentioning his name in public is considered political suicide.

Reese implies I would use my political office to direct city contracts to my architectural firm. Does he believe the voters are gullible enough to be sucked in by this ploy?

By running for City Council we are, in fact, sacrificing any future opportunity to do business with the city in the future. If elected, I and my firm would be barred by law from contracting with the city.

We at Interactive Resources are proud to have provided architectural services to our own city in the past. We are proud to have provided jobs for Richmond residents, who make up more than 50 percent of our employees.

We are proud we operate an architectural practice of national prominence from Richmond, serving hundreds of clients, including other cities as well as counties, states, universities and the federal government. Contrary to the lies in Reese's hit piece, we have never attempted to circumvent the competitive selection process for a contract with Richmond.

I hope the voters will finally see Reese for the evil he represents and reject the dirty politics bought by his tainted money.

Thomas K. Butt

Richmond

Butt is a candidate for Richmond City Council.