As 6th House District voters prepare to vote on a rematch of 2010 opponents - current Congressman Bill Johnson (R) and former Congressman Charlie Wilson (D) - I came across some interesting information I was not aware of in the last election. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't remember reading anything about Wilson's divorce from ex-wife Clara on the grounds of "extreme cruelty."
I don't remember local media mentioning what anyone can find in the Belmont County public records, that the defendant (Wilson) "kicked and struck" the plaintiff (his former wife). I don't remember the investigative journalism that provided voters with the knowledge that there were "beatings, slappings, and kicking at the early stages of her marriage." I do not recall reading or hearing that the former Congressman once beat his wife so badly her son had to take her to the emergency room at the East Ohio Regional Hospital.
Just to check my memory, I went to the Marietta Times website and put in the name "Charlie Wilson" and quickly found 100 mentions of the Democrat candidate in the paper. Then I tried Charlie Wilson and "wife beating" and found zero results. Thinking maybe I had been too harsh, I tried Charlie Wilson and "ethics." I found one result but nothing about the Belmont County case. I tried Charlie Wilson and "divorce." Again, zero. How about Charlie Wilson and "controversy?" Nothing.
Now I don't know Mr. Wilson personally. Maybe he has reformed since the series of violent incidents with his ex-wife. If he has, great. But I bring this up now because it's clear the media (so willing to go into the private lives of Republicans) has failed to do its job. No matter how much this man has changed, there are certain things that I feel disqualify an individual from serving in one of the most important offices in the country. In a recent letter to the editor, a lady endorsed Wilson because "he's one of us." Like most people, I am not proud of everything I've done in my life, but I would not want to be grouped in with (or represented by) a candidate with this kind of baggage.
Richard A. "Skeet" Vore
Marietta
