10/24/12 - A Genoa Township resident says a recent Facebook exchange with an elected official means he has no plans to âlikeâ him on Election Day. Daniel Atherton says he was on Facebook Saturday night when an ad popped up on the screen for Genoa Township Trustee Todd Smith. When he looked at it, he says it trumpeted Smithâs conservative beliefs but contained nothing of substance about the township. That prompted him to put a post on Smithâs Facebook campaign page that said, "Thanks for polluting my Facebook page and letting me know who not to vote for." Smith then replied, "Daniel, no problem. I'm sure the food stamps and government hand outs will still be available for you instead of contributing to the world!!!" Atherton says Smithâs response was not only rude, but off-the-mark as he is college-educated and employed since he was 16. Atherton, who has âlikedâ the pages of two candidates running against Smith, maintains that he and his wife do own property in Genoa Township and heâs troubled by the conclusion that Smith was looking up his tax information after the exchange. Smith maintains Atherton is not listed as a property owner and the information is a matter of public record, which anyone can look up at any time. Smith says tells WHMI he does not have any paid pop-up advertising on Facebook, just his candidate page that Atherton posted directly to. Smith says after a series of derogatory posts made directly by Atherton, he responded. Looking back, Smith says he probably shouldnât have stooped to Athertonâs level. Smith says there are a lot of positive things going on in Genoa Township that should not be overshadowed by partisan bickering and overall non-productive comments. The two candidates running against Smith are Linda Rowell, who is running as a Republican for the township board, and Terry Croft, who is running as a nonpartisan challenger. The exchange can be downloaded below. (JK/JM)
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