It's election time and there are campaign signs all over the city of Portage la Prairie. Unfortunately, some signs have been posted that are attacking current councillor Ryan Espey.
Espey is running again and says he had mixed feelings when he first heard about these signs.
"Clearly, they are making a statement that couldn't possibly be true. They're claiming a huge increase in water rates, and they're putting my name on it, as if I had the power to do that myself, which, I clearly do not," says Espey. "So, it's not true that I get the power to make that decision. When I first saw them, you know, I was a little bit perturbed, we'll say, by the fact that they were going up again, because we have experienced this in other elections."
He says, once he had some time to think about it, the signs bothered him less. Espey calls the signs "laughable", with their poor quality and the fact the information is fake. If you have questions, he says you can always contact him.
"Do your research because any water rate models are posted on the city website, so, you can clearly go there and see that this is not true," says Espey. "Or, shoot me a message if you have a question about it. Or, any of the current councillors, even the ones that aren't running again. They should have no issue explaining to you how this is not a true statement, something that's completely fabricated."
He has advice for other candidates who may see signs or other literature which may try and discredit them. Espey says, if someone feels the need to try and smear your campaign, it's because they see you as a frontrunner. He says he can almost consider these signs as a compliment.