Sandy Springs City Council Candidate Rescinds False Quote In Endorsement

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- One of two women running for the District 4 seat on the Sandy Springs City Council has retracted a quote she claimed was provided the Georgia Stonewall Democrats in the organization's endorsement of her campaign.

In a press release issued last week, Le'Dor Milteer claimed Stonewall Democrats Secretary Juliana Illari said the following about her bid to win the Nov. 7 election:

"Le'Dor's commitment to LGBTQ equality is clear, she is running a diverse campaign that is leading the way on addressing issues facing all residents in Sandy Springs, and has a passion for serving her community. Le'Dor will be an ally to the LGBTQ community in Sandy Springs."

The problem? Illari said that statement was not provided to Milteer's campaign when it announced its endorsements for the upcoming municipal elections. With this in mind, the organization asked the candidate's campaign to rescind their initial press release and send out a new announcement.

“There were no individual quotes given," Illari told Patch (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

Milteer is facing fellow challenger Jody Reichel in the Nov. 7 general election for the seat, which is held by incumbent City Councilman Gabriel Sterling. Sterling opted not to seek re-election to focus on his run in the special election for Fulton County Commission chair.

Georgia Stonewall Democrats are made up of members and allies of the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community. The organization, Illari said, has what it calls an "open endorsement" process. Once the qualification period closes, the group invites campaigns to submit their information to be considered for endorsement. The candidates have to fill out surveys and questionnaires as part of the process. The call for submission is posted on the organization's website and Facebook page, and is also blasted via email.

The Stonewall Democrats review the candidates, their responses to the questions and make their determinations from that point. The 2017 election cycle has proven to be a peculiar time, Illari said, as the organization has many candidates they've endorsed in the past who are competing against each other in the city of Atlanta's upcoming elections.

With this in mind, Illari said the organization opted to just send out a blanket statement announcing the candidates they are endorsing rather than provide individual quotes for campaigns to use.

"We let the statement stand on its own," Illari added.

Steen Kirby of Bold Blue Campaigns, which is working with Milteer on her bid for the City Council, said the candidate “did not have anything to do with" the quote that appeared in her press release.

Kirby notes an "inexperienced staffer," brought on as a volunteer with the campaign, compiled the information -- including the quote -- and distributed the news in a form of a press release. The issue, Kirby states, has been dealt with and that volunteer will no longer be in charge of the communications component of Milteer's campaign.

Despite the fabricated quote's circulation, Kirby reiterated that the Stonewall Democrats' endorsement of Milteer remains valid and that Milteer is proud of the organization's support of her campaign.

“She's just trying to highlight the fact that she supports the LGBT community," Kirby added.

Image via Le'Dor Milteer