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Saskatoon mayoral candidate Kelley Moore is apologizing “unreservedly” after a Facebook post suggested her opponents could be corrupt.
Her campaign had posted a link to her tax platform Friday afternoon. The link was titled “It turns out Charlie Clark and Don Atchison have had their hands in the public cookie jar for years!”
Clark responded swiftly, saying in a statement the comments were “libelous” and “defamatory.”
“By stating she felt I had my hands in a cookie jar, that’s making pretty serious accusations about personal behaviour,” he said in an interview with 650 CKOM.
In the Clark campaign statement, lawyer Grant Scharfstein warned the comments wouldn’t be protected by the context of the election.
“False accusations such as this are clearly defamatory and libelous,” he said.
Moore’s campaign edited the post, which now reads, “Debt and unsustainable development will handcuff city for years!!”
She apologized in a statement released by her campaign shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
“We acknowledge that it could be taken out of context to imply dishonesty by the incumbent mayoralty candidates,” it read. “This was not our intention, the post has been edited and Kelley Moore unreservedly apologizes.”
The war of words comes a day after the two candidates sparred in the final electoral forum of the campaign.
During the evening, Clark criticized Moore for contradicting herself throughout the election.
When told the post had been edited, Clark repeated the criticism.
“This is just the latest in a string of incidents,” he said. “On one day she says one thing, and then the next minute when she’s challenged, she changes it.”
“Citizens have to decide, is that the kind of leadership they want for the city?”
Clark said he hasn’t made any decisions on whether to pursue legal action, but is glad Moore has changed the post.
