Burlington attack ad says female mayoral candidate is 'irrational' and bad at math

Some residents and women's advocates say they're disturbed by a flyer portraying a Burlington mayoral candidate as irrational, manipulative and bad at math.

A flyer distributed last week has columns comparing incumbent Rick Goldring with Marianne Meed Ward. Ward 3 councillor candidate Peter Rusin distributed the flyer without Goldring's knowledge or input.

Meed Ward is "calculating," the flyer says, while Goldring is "calm, disciplined and rational."

Goldring is "honest/trustworthy" while Meed Ward is a "manipulator."

It also says Meed Ward is "fake" and "power hungry and ambitious." While Goldring is a "proven financial specialist," Meed Ward has a "poor understanding of numbers."

It plays on the worst stereotypes of women who run for office, says Denise Christopherson, executive director of YWCA Hamilton. Meed Ward is power hungry for running for mayor; Goldring is not. 

"My initial reaction is I was taken aback," she said.

"It was the language that was used. Angry. Manipulative. Power hungry. Irrational. Voice of the angry. There are different ways to convey your message."

Meed Ward, a two-term Burlington councillor, says the flyer is appalling. "It uses words to describe women that would never be used to describe men."

"These are the kinds of things that women have been subjected to when they have dared to open their mouths and stand for something, and that is unacceptable."

Goldring says he didn't even know about the flyer until a campaign volunteer received it at home.

"Many of the statements made in this flyer are unfair and quite frankly inappropriate."

Heated race

The flyer is the latest chapter in a messy mayoral race in a city struggling with how to handle new development.

Burlington is increasingly popular with Toronto residents in search of affordable homes. Housing prices in the Burlington-Hamilton-Grimsby area have increased nearly every year since 2008, and the city is grappling with high rise development proposals.

Meed Ward says council under Goldring's reign has led to "overdevelopment" and pledges to stop it. Goldring says the mayor is only one vote, and provincial policies have forced growth on the city. Goldring even asked the province to consider making Waterdown part of Burlington because the latter is running out of space to grow. 

Former Conservative MP Mike Wallace and business owner Greg Woodruff are running too. 

In August, polling company Campaign Research did a phone survey in Burlington. One question claimed Meed Ward once said women should "put up with abuse to save the marriage." Another said she believes "all development should be opposed," and that women "forced to wear the hijab find it liberating."

Distributor running in a different race

Goldring said he wasn't involved in that either.

As for the flyer, Goldring said he was subject to Rusin's techniques in 2014 when Rusin ran for mayor. 

"For whatever reason," he said, "Peter Rusin decided the content of this flyer would help his election effort."

Rusin distributed the two-page flyer, which is under his heading but largely focuses on Meed Ward. It's also accompanied by online ads, a website and a media release.

"The story is simple," Rusin told CBC Hamilton in an email. "It is about telling people the truth."