Patterson provided signature to Leitch campaign

By MORGAN IAN ADAMS Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin January 28 2011
COLLINGWOOD — A candidate for the Conservative nomination in Simcoe-Grey says she had the OK — with a signature in hand–from Simcoe County’s warden to prepare an endorsement letter with his autograph.

On Wednesday night, Kellie Leitch provided the Enterprise-Bulletin with a series of emails from Cal Patterson, who is also mayor of Wasaga Beach, in which Patterson approves a quote that was later used on Leitch’s website and indicates his support to co-sign an endorsement letter.
The emails also indicate Patterson agreed to provide his signature for the letter, and include an email from administrative staff at Simcoe County with a scan of his John Hancock.
On Monday, in an interview with the E-B and on a local radio station, Patterson said he was “furious” when a letter enthusiastically endorsing Dr. Kellie Leitch showed up at his door late last week–signed by him.
The letter was sent out to Conservative Party supporters in the riding.
Leitch says it was a mistake to send the letter out to party members before being approved by Patterson; she said she thought her assistant had sent it to Patterson for approval, while her assistant thought Leitch had sent it.
According to the email chronology, Leitch asks Patterson to co-sign a cover letter that was to go out with another campaign piece containing quotes from local, well-known party supporters, and Conservative Members of Parliament and Senators.
In response to an email from Leitch that includes the ‘quote’ to be used, as well as a request to co-sign a letter with either federal ministers John Baird or Jim Flaherty, Patterson responds, “I do support the quote and the endorsement. I will be glad to sign the cover letter.”
In a later email, after Leitch requests an electronic copy of his signature, Patterson says he will get a staff member at his county office to forward one the next day.
The letter is dated Jan. 7; Leitch says the letters were mailed on the 10th.
Leitch has stated on several occasions this week that she takes full responsibility for the “miscommunication.
“I take the responsibility for not sending the letter (to Patterson for approval),” she said on Wednesday night. “When the campaign received his signature, the decision was made to move forward.
“There was an error in the office, and I take full responsibility… I truly thought the letter had been sent,” she said.
Leitch acknowledged part of the issue may have been the letter is signed by Patterson as warden and mayor.
“There was no malicious intent, and where our error is, is we didn’t do our due diligence… we didn’t understand that may not have how he viewed it to go out.”
On Monday in an interview with the E-B, Patterson said it’s inappropriate that anything would go out using his name and political titles as endorsing anyone, and “that’s why I’ve asked her to withdraw it.”
Patterson could not be reached for comment to respond to the latest developments prior to presstime.
“It’s very careless, selfish… somebody in her campaign must have written it and passed it by (Leitch),” he told QMI Agency on Monday afternoon. “I was shocked when I got it.
“As soon as I saw it, I e-mailed her and told her she did not have my permission to do this.”
In the letter, dated Jan. 7, Patterson is quoted as “proudly supporting” Leitch, noting the orthopaedic surgeon at Sick Kids is “an accomplished and respected professional.
“She believes in volunteerism and has been actively involved in many important causes,” he wrote
Patterson also points out in the letter that Leitch lives in Creemore — she has been criticized as a ‘parachute’ candidate — and his letter was accompanied by a list of endorsements from local municipal officials and long-time Conservatives, as well as plugs from 50 Conservative Members of Parliament and senators.
Leitch told QMI the letter was a result of “one hand not talking to the other.
“It’s completely regrettable and I take full responsibility,” she said, Monday night. “In an nomination campaign, miscommunications can happen over the course of the campaign, and there are lots of volunteers trying to do the best for the candidate they like.
“This was regrettable, and a complete miscommunication on our behalf,” she said. “What’s done is done… and I hope we can move on.”
Leitch had been considered the front runner since announcing her candidacy in September. While former Collingwood mayor Chris Carrier was first in announcing his candidacy for the Conservative nomination in August, Leitch’s candidacy had been widely speculated since she showed up to the local Conservative riding association’s annual general meeting last April.
A third candidate for the Conservative nomination, Paul Throop, came forward in November.
Her appearance at the AGM caused a ripple with the riding executive, given there was still a chance at that time the sitting Member of Parliament, Helena Guergis, would be allowed to return to the Conservative fold — and it prompted the executive to send a letter to the National Council of the Conservative Party in May demanding to know why Guergis wasn’t being allowed to come back and whether Leitch was being touted as a ‘star candidate’ for the riding.
Leitch has deep connections within the Conservative Party, having worked on the federal and provincial leadership campaigns, respectively, of Conservative power couple Jim Flaherty and Christine Elliott.
Patterson told QMI, and a local radio station, he was furious.
“Once I got the letter, I sent her an email and said how disappointed and how furious I was about the whole thing, that I knew nothing about it,” he said in an interview on 97.7 The Beach. “I would not have approved any of the content of it, and I’m going to make this well known to everybody.”
Patterson said on Monday he had received an apology from Leitch, and has asked her to retract it. Otherwise, he said, he would be writing a letter himself.
“This was a letter that should never have gone out, and certainly I don’t support it in any way, but it’s out there,” he said.
On the radio, he told people who had received the letter to “throw it in the garbage.”
“I’m so frustrated with the whole thing that I’m not supporting anybody at this point,” he said. “I have enough headaches and things on my plate.
“Shame on me for getting involved at all.”
Patterson acknowledged he had provided Leitch support at several events, but that was as a private individual, and not as a public official.
He also expressed his disappointment that a quote attributed to him, using his political titles, was posted on Leitch’s website under a list of individuals endorsing her.
“I clearly told them (Leitch’s campaign staff ) not to use that stuff,” he said, when he was read the quote by QMI.
“I’m not supporting her now, and I’m ticked off.”
Patterson’s quote on the website was removed Monday night.
This isn’t the first endorsement faux pas for Leitch in this campaign; last week it was noted several of the endorsements on her website from MPs and senators were duplicated — word for word. Those quotes have since been removed and updated.
She’s also not the only candidate in this campaign with over-active letter writers; Carrier’s website contains a letter to ‘open-minded Conservatives’ in the riding, written by John Hanlon, that trumpets a “local media” had touted the former mayor as “Simcoe- Grey’s favourite son.”
However, as it turned out, the only reference to Carrier being Simcoe- Grey’s “favourite son” is an article on a local lifestyle website — and written by Hanlon.