An election campaign flier has one candidate for District 5 county commissioner crying foul and the other firmly standing behind it, with the runoff election between the two only weeks away.

Challenger Kevin Jackson’s campaign sent the mailer to residents across the district last weekend. In it, Jackson outlined what he saw to be the main differences between himself and his opponent, incumbent Randy Simpkins. It specifically made the supposed distinction between the men’s stances on future development, gun rights and taxes in the county.

Calling the mailer “misleading” and “a shot below the belt,” Simpkins said it represents a dirty kind of politics that does not belong in the race.

“He tried to paint a picture of me, and I don’t appreciate that. At the same time, I’m not going to stoop to that level. I’m not going to change my campaign strategy,” Simpkins said. “I’m not going to stoop to that low level.”

The primary bone of contention over the flier is the suggestion that Simpkins “voted in favor” of the proposed Wolf Creek planned unit development, an issue Simpkins said has not yet come before the commission.

“We have not voted on that rezoning at all, and we have not seen a development agreement on it,” Simpkins said. “We cannot vote on it until we see a development agreement. I certainly have made it clear that I support bringing things to the local economy that will promote jobs. If it doesn’t pay for itself and it’s not what we need, I’m not going to vote for it.”

Jackson does not dispute the content of the flier but said he believes it is absolutely true and denies any accusation that it was an unfair attack against his opponent.

“I have never ever said one thing that could be considered a personal attack on either of the other candidates,” he said. “There’s never ever been a negative thing.”

Simpkins was also upset with the implication that he opposed Second Amendment rights. He said that while he did vote in favor of a countywide ordinance that banned the firing of guns within 700 feet of a residence, it was not an attempt to infringe on gunowner rights.

“I was raised in the country,” Simpkins said. “I have guns and my boys have guns, and to suggest that I’m not supportive of gun rights is not correct at all.”

The ordinance was later repealed, and while Jackson said the decision to strike down the ordinance was in response to public criticism, Simpkins argued it was more a result of confusing and ambiguous wording.

“The ordinance that we voted in, it had good intentions. We got feedback from the community and subsequently removed the ordinance, and we removed it because it was written in a way that was hard to understand,” he said. “That’s the way government is supposed to work.”

The flier also touted Jackson as a candidate who would “keep taxes in check,” pointing out the fact that Simpkins previously voted in favor of a two-mill property tax increase that would eventually pass.

The county did pass a two-mill increase and Simpkins did vote for it, but considering the struggling state of the county budget at the time, Simpkins said, it was absolutely necessary for the future well-being of the county.

“The money that had been taken out by the state over the years, and by the worst-case scenario happening in health care, and the increased expenses, we had to make that adjustment,” he said. “I’m a property-tax payer too but we were in a situation where we had to make a tough decision, and we made it.”

Despite the complaints about the flier, Jackson said he will continue to focus on the issues and run a clean and respectful campaign.

“I think Randy Simpkins is a gentleman. I think he is a man of good character,” Jackson said. “I certainly will not launch any negative attacks against him. Not now. Not in the future.”