Nelson Updates Signs, Takes No Responsibility For Them
Judicial candidate tells The Duckpin that it wasn't her fault
The Good News for judicial candidate Rowena Nelson is that she fixed her campaign signs.
By “fixed” it appears to me that means “slapped a sticker with an EL over the misspelling of Anne Arundel on the already existing signs.”
The problem for Nelson is that she takes no responsibility for the signs being wrong.
In a long, stemwinder of an email to The Duckpin, Nelson tells us all about how none of this is his fault and mildly implies legal action if we don’t correct the original story.
We reproduce the email in full here:
Dear Mr. Griffiths,
I am writing regarding your recent article in The Duck Pin concerning a typographical error on one of my campaign signs.
Your article omits key facts and, as a result, creates a misleading impression. I provided the correct spelling and content to the printer, as reflected in email correspondence. The error was introduced during the printing process, not by my campaign.
I identified the issue immediately and took prompt steps to have it corrected. The brief delay in replacing the signs was due to unforeseen personal circumstances affecting the printer, not any lack of action on my part. The signs have since been corrected.
Your article highlights the error but does not include these critical facts, nor does it reflect that the issue was addressed quickly and responsibly. That omission leaves readers with an inaccurate and incomplete understanding of the situation.
Accurate and fair reporting is especially important in the context of a judicial campaign. I respectfully request that you update the article promptly to include these facts or remove it altogether as it serves no actual purpose except to besmirch my character and reputation.
RISK TO THE PUBLIC:
Your article poses the risk of misleading members of the public who may conclude that an error was made by me (Rowena Nelson) instead of the Printing Press and consequently interferes with the Election process. To date, I have been subject to public humiliation at a Judicial Conference, hateful emails from voters, scheduled speaking engagements have been cancelled and I lost an endorsement (Maryland Wire) following the publication of your article.
At a minimum, the article should be updated to reflect:
· The correct spelling was provided to the printer
· The typo originated during the printing process
· The issue was identified immediately and corrected as quickly as circumstances allowed
· The signs have since been replaced
Please confirm when this update or removal has been made.
Sincerely,
Rowena N. Nelson
Say it with me:
The entirety of Nelson’s email is hilarious for a variety of reasons. Allow me to dissect her missive point-by-point:
Your article omits key facts and, as a result, creates a misleading impression. I provided the correct spelling and content to the printer, as reflected in email correspondence. The error was introduced during the printing process, not by my campaign.
Nelson provides no evidence of this, but say that we take her at her word. Every printer worth their salt, every printer I have ever used, sends a proof before entering the production process. That means that Nelson would need to approve the proof before production of the sign began. This happens when I make 60 cents worth of copies at Office Depot, so anybody making 4 x 8 corplast signs at $70-90 a piece is damn sure going to make sure to get a proof signed off.
More importantly, every place that I have ever ordered signs or printables from takes my design and just prints it as is. The proof is primarily to make sure the printable area lines up because they are using my design in the first place. The idea that “The error was introduced during the printing process, not by my campaign” does not pass the smell test.
I identified the issue immediately and took prompt steps to have it corrected. The brief delay in replacing the signs was due to unforeseen personal circumstances affecting the printer, not any lack of action on my part. The signs have since been corrected.
As evidenced by my photo above, the signs were not “replaced,” they were “patched.” The “brief delay in replacing the signs was due to unforeseen personal circumstances affecting the printer” has no impact on Nelson’s campaign deploying the misspelled signs in the first place.
Your article highlights the error but does not include these critical facts, nor does it reflect that the issue was addressed quickly and responsibly. That omission leaves readers with an inaccurate and incomplete understanding of the situation.
No, the article identifies the demonstrable fact that your signs were wrong.
Accurate and fair reporting is especially important in the context of a judicial campaign. I respectfully request that you update the article promptly to include these facts or remove it altogether as it serves no actual purpose except to besmirch my character and reputation.
<taps the sign>
RISK TO THE PUBLIC:
Your article poses the risk of misleading members of the public who may conclude that an error was made by me (Rowena Nelson) instead of the Printing Press and consequently interferes with the Election process. To date, I have been subject to public humiliation at a Judicial Conference, hateful emails from voters, scheduled speaking engagements have been cancelled and I lost an endorsement (Maryland Wire) following the publication of your article.
There is no “Risk to the Public” here. Nelson made a dumbass decision to put 4 x 8 campaign signs up that she knew spelled “Anne Arundel” incorrectly around the county and she is embarassed she got caught in the act. That Nelson has “been subject to public humiliation at a Judicial Conference, hateful emails from voters, scheduled speaking engagements have been cancelled and I lost an endorsement” thanks to my article sounds like the consequences of incompetence and an inability to take responsibility for one’s own shortcomings.
To quote the philosopher Nelson Muntz.
At a minimum, the article should be updated to reflect:
· The correct spelling was provided to the printer
· The typo originated during the printing process
· The issue was identified immediately and corrected as quickly as circumstances allowed
· The signs have since been replaced
Please confirm when this update or removal has been made.
Sincerely,
Rowena N. Nelson
You want me to lie to my readers by putting forth an ex post facto change to the article? Nice try.
The fact that Nelson took the time to send me an email this insulting says a lot, and none of it is gonna work out for her. I will end this piece the same way I ended the last one on the subject, knowing full well it has been reinforced by this message I received today: The inability to get basic campaign functions like spelling the name of the county she lives in and seeks to serve correctly on campaign signs is the kind of disqualifying error that tells the people of Anne Arundel County “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” that Rowena Nelson is not qualified to be elected to the Circuit Court.