Knoxville, TN – The Mark Padgett for Knoxville City Mayor campaign (www.VotePadgett.com) issued a statement today regarding Madeline Rogero’s new TV commercial (“Believe”) that hides her public record of raising taxes, raising her own pay and creating a politician slush fund.

• --Madeline Rogero voted for five tax increases (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 9/26/03; Knox County Commission Minutes, 6/20/91, 6/29/92, 6/16/95, 6/26/95, 8/24/98).
• --Madeline Rogero voted for a property tax increase that gave her a 24 percent pay raise (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 6/28/95).
• --Madeline Rogero voted to use taxpayer dollars to fill up a slush fund for Knox County politicians that Knox County Executive Dwight Kessel called “pure pork barrel.” He said it would create a financial need when the county is struggling to pay its bills. Kessel said his problem with the fund was the potential for political payoffs. (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 7/14/92).

Transcript from Madeline Rogero’s commercial: “…Negative ads, distortions, half-truths, nasty politics. Unfortunately, that’s the direction my opponent has chosen.”

“From day one, our campaign has focused on issues, ideas and her public record,” said Tony Coppola, campaign manager for Mark Padgett for Knoxville City Mayor. “The truth is simple and clear: Madeline Rogero voted for five tax increases, including one that gave her a 24 percent pay raise, and she voted to use taxpayer dollars to fill up a slush fund for Knox County politicians. The voters deserve to know the difference between the two candidates.”

As a reminder, the campaign has released a 28-page “Padgett Plan” (http://www.votepadgett.com/the-issues) and posted more than 50 videos on YouTube (www.YouTube.com/PadgettForMayor) to share Mark’s position on everything from codes enforcement and homelessness to red light cameras and parks/greenways.

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