This past Friday, October 20, Elyria residents received the following email from Whitfield for Mayor of Elyria. The subject line read, “Elyria Voting is in Full Swing!”

Greetings,
I’m seeking your support for re-election as Elyra’s Mayor, and as you know, we’re in the final stretch of election season. Our team has been busy knocking on doors, attending forums, making phone calls, and writing notes to voters. I am so thankful to all of our volunteers, who have been faithful and committed to knocking on hundreds of doors weekly––including our lead volunteer, Laura.

Over these past few months together, we have been able to hit some crucial milestones, including: Knocking on over 1,000 doors and talked to residents Registering over 100 new voters Opening a campaign HQ in Downtown Elyria Putting up over 500 yard signs around town (and we have a waitlist) Hosting meaningful forums around town Sending out our first mailer Putting up our first electronic billboard This campaign would not be possible without the love and support of my wife, Kaleena, our children, and engaged supporters like you. And remember: early voting has begun! Please be sure to go vote and encourage your friends and family to VOTE Whitfield for Mayor.

Yours in Service,
Mayor Frank Whitfield

The email was followed up with another correcting the typos, and a third was received by many the following day with the subject line, “My Plan for Elyria’s Growth and Advancement.”

By Sunday, at least 16 residents took to social media claiming they never signed up to receive Whitfield’s campaign emails. Many wondered how their email addresses were added to Whitfield’s campaign email list. Supporters suggested the email addresses may have been inadvertently included. Critics claimed the addresses were obtained inappropriately, with some even alleging illegality.

Another explanation suggested the Whitfield campaign simply purchased a list of email addresses through a third party vendor. It is not uncommon for political campaigns to buy lists of home addresses, phone numbers, and emails. Such purchases are legal and would explain how these email addresses were obtained.

I reached out to Whitfield to ask whether his campaign purchased such a list. He responded via text:

Our campaign has been working with advertising companies to get our message out digitally through electronic billboards, e-mail blasts, geo fencing, and more. Because I am an independent our message goes to everyone. My apologies if you don’t want to hear our message. There is always an unsubscribe button on our emails. For the geo fencing you will just have to scroll past or mute them when they come on for the next couple weeks.

Geofencing is a location-based service by which advertisements are pushed via apps or websites. For example, a consumer may notice ads popping up on their device from Retailer A after walking past Retailer A’s shop.

Seeking clarification, I asked Whitfield again whether his campaign purchased a list of email addresses and, if not, how did the addresses end up on the campaign’s list if those residents never opted in? Whitfield again responded via text:

“Hey KC I know there is a desire to distract from the actual substance from the campaign and the platform I released but I don’t have the time to feed into it. You are a communications professional correct? You can explain to the people interested in how ad buying works and how advertising agencies get emails. I would rather focus my energy on the substance of our campaign. That’s my final comment to you.

I tried a third time, again asking the source of Whitifield’s campaign email list. I have not received a response

Following our exchange, a statement similar to his first text to me has been posted to Whitfield’s Facebook page, Welyria.

The most recent campaign finance report, dated July 31, does not show a contact list purchase in particular. The next finance report, due October 26, will show campaign finance activity through October 18.

Purchasing contact lists is exceedingly common for political campaigns of all stripes. In my exchange with Whitfield I stated, “If your campaign purchased a list I don’t see a story here. Can you confirm?”

For now, the answer to that question remains unclear.

This is a developing post. If you have information please email kevin@kjcmedia.net or message me on Facebook. All communications are kept strictly confidential.