The race for the Democratic nomination for House District 39, which includes eastern and southern Wake County is getting a bit snippy.
Incumbent Darren Jackson and his challenger, former Knightdale mayor Jeanne Bonds traded some chippy remarks in an e-mail exchange over the last couple days. Jackson started the fuss when he declined an invitation to appear at a public forum organized by the Bonds campaign.
In his RSVP e-mail to Bond supporter Chris Church sent Wednesday, Jackson said he would be unable to attend because of another meeting of the Wake County legislative delegation planned for the same time.
Jackson went on to say that he has hosted a series of town hall meetings throughout the district in the past year and that voters had plenty of opportunities to raise questions or concerns. Then he criticized the plans for the event.
"The fact that you did not contact (me) prior to unilaterally setting a date, which coincidentally is in conflict with our publicized Delegation meeting, and that you waited until two weeks out from our primary to first contact me is disappointing."
Bonds fired back in an e-mail this morning.
"Quite a few people have written and called and asked for all three candidates to appear together to take questions so this was an effort to provide a forum that voters requested. I am sorry if you have not received requests but I have for the past several weeks," Bonds wrote.
She went on to say that she had heard there might be a meeting of the Wake legislative delegation, but that she had never received any firm confirmation about when that meeting would be.
"Please provide the notice about the meeting about which you speak so we can attend since it is a public meeting. I will share it with the local officials who were not aware of it. We are also happy to promote it so there is good attendance," Bonds wrote.
She also told Jackson that the forum was intended to serve as a speaking opportunity for candidates not an update session on the affairs of the General Assembly as Jackson had promoted his town hall meetings.
