By Dean Ostovich, Alexandria (File photo)

To the editor:
Whatever you may think of Mayor Bill Euille’s write-in campaign and his signs that falsely imply he’s the Democratic nominee, I am sure you share my utter disbelief in the conduct of his campaign.

Euille has run for office in Alexandria seven times since he was first elected to city council in 1997, and eight if you count last year’s failed bid for Congress. Despite that, his campaign blatantly broke state law with its sample ballot flyer last month.

I have seen Euille’s flyer with a white sample ballot suggesting it was backed by the Alexandria Board of Elections, the body charged with the fair and impartial administration of elections. Certainly, this is a group that would not endorse a write-in campaign or candidacy.

State law, which every local party committee and candidate in Alexandria has managed to observe for years, requires that sample ballots not be printed on white paper. It also requires that a proper disclaimer naming the candidate or group that paid for it appear on the same ballot. Surely the consulting firm Euille has working his campaign and his campaign manager all know this. If not, what does that say about their competence?

Is it too much to expect a seven-time candidate, active in campaigns for at least two decades to follow simple laws? Was it an oversight resulting from a lack of competence or deliberate action resulting from a lack of ethics?

Either way, the people of Alexandria deserve and must demand the highest standards from those who want to hold public office. Euille’s situational ethics or his incompetence fall far short of this measure.

Alexandria’s citizens and taxpayers shouldn’t have to guess what’s behind Euille’s actions. They just plain deserve better.