Letter: Petition circulators didn't mislead voters

This letter is in regard to remarks that Robey Willis made which appeared in the Appeal on Wednesday "Willis wins justice of peace race." Mr. Willis stated that "the results validate what a lot of people have said about the grand jury - that a lot of people were lied to." Mr. Willis has slandered the reputation of my company.

I am the CEO of National Voter Outreach, Inc. NVO is a well respected national signature gathering firm based in Carson City. The company has been incorporated in Nevada for the past eight years. During that time we have collected over 15 million signatures for numerous candidates and petitions around the country. We are very careful to follow the rules and present the issues in an honest manner.

The facts are that this issue has received substantial coverage in this paper and in the Reno paper. The full text of the petition was available to every signer. The circulators were given a briefing on the nature of the issue, copies of numerous newspaper articles on the issue and a fact sheet written by legal counsel.

There was no need to mislead anyone on the issue. Over 5,400 residents of Carson City signed the petition. Many of them stated they were very familiar with the ongoing dispute between Mr. Weddell and the powers-that-be in the city. There were more than sufficient facts to cause people to want the issue investigated further. That is the purpose of the grand jury, to have citizens of Carson City hear the facts and make an informed decision for all.

The Reno paper conducted an investigation of allegations that we were misleading people. Out of 5,400 signers they found two complaints and one of those was from a person working in the sheriff's office. It is understandable that someone working for the very people named in the petition would attempt to muddy the waters. It is not understandable that an elected city official would make unfounded and unsubstantiated remarks concerning a respected and responsible company based in Carson City.

RICHARD L. ARNOLD, CEO

National Voter Outreach, Inc.

Carson City