Retraction demand dropped

By Trina Berlo Wasaga Sun Jan 28, 2011
WASAGA BEACH – Simcoe County Warden and Wasaga Beach Mayor Cal Patterson said today he is dropping his demand for a retraction from Simcoe-Grey Conservative candidate Kellie Leitch.
“I made my point. It’s time to move on,” said Patterson. “We called basically a truce yesterday morning…”
When asked if he still wants a retraction he said, “I do but I’d just rather drop it at this point.”
Until yesterday Patterson was requesting a formal retraction from Leitch because he discovered an endorsement letter bearing his name, political titles and signature was mailed out on Leitch’s campaign letterhead last month.
Patterson said he had never seen the letter and did not approve it. 
He said he doesn’t know exactly who got the letter in the mail but was asking that Leitch’s campaign send out another letter to retract it.
Leitch said in an interview Monday that the letter was sent to former party members and supporters. She said it was sent as a result of a “significant miscommunication and [the] campaign is taking responsibility”.
Patterson said Monday if Leitch didn’t retract the letter he would, and he proceeded to inform the media he had not written the letter.
“She hasn’t come forthright and said, ‘yes I retracted the letter’, so that’s why I went on the A Channel, to be very public about it…” said Patterson. “I had mixed feelings about it but thought at least if I do the interview and it goes off well the message is out there for everybody, which is probably the closest I am going to get to a retraction. I am still working on that – asking for a retraction – but basically we just said it was time to move on yesterday.”
“If she’s going to do it that’s wonderful but I am not going to push the issue anymore.”
“I have expressed my disappointment publicly to enough [people], hopefully it has reached everybody,” said Patterson. “I want to make sure the message is out there that I did not write the letter. I am hoping she will do a letter but if she doesn’t, I have got the message out there anyway, much to her dismay.”
The Sun has not been able to reach Leitch for comment.