Distributing campaign fliers and pamphlets, a group of community activists has been canvassing Aberdeen neighborhoods every weekend in a door-to-door effort to persuade the electorate to sweep Mayor S. Fred Simmons out of office.
But most of the group's members are devoting time and money in hopes of influencing an election they can't take part in - they're not Aberdeen residents.
Nonresidents have taken keen interest in this Tuesday's election, which features competitive mayoral and council races. The group - Aberdeen Communities Together - was formed last year to oppose an annexation attempt by city officials, and the ill will that emerged then has reached a high point during the run-up to the election.
Three candidates - including a 19-year-old college student - are running for mayor, and 10 are vying for four council seats in a campaign that has been filled with accusations, rumors, and defaced or vanished campaign signs.
During the past month the activists, donning matching blue T-shirts, have convened outside City Hall to stuff campaign literature into plastic bags for distribution around the city. The activists have stumped for challenger Michael E. Bennett for mayor, as well as for council candidates who are critical of Simmons. About 60 percent to 65 percent of the group's members are not Aberdeen residents, said Chuck Doty, ACT's founding member.
The group's fervor to thwart Simmons' election hopes stems from the city's attempt to annex more than 500 acres last year. Some residents living in the proposed annexation area formed the group and launched an aggressive door-to-door campaign to persuade voters to defeat the proposal.
The effort paid off when Aberdeen voters rejected the proposal by a 2-to-1 margin in December.
"My fear is that if they stay in office, they will ignore that referendum," said Rosemary Queen, an ACT member who does not live in Aberdeen but volunteers on weekends for Simmons' opponents.
Almost a year after the referendum, the bitterness between the group and mayor lingers. Members of the group are a regular presence at council meetings, criticizing Simmons on topics ranging from his brash management style to his habit of carrying a gun.
"The annexation galvanized a neighborhood of people into warriors. Instead of having it be a process, they turned it into a war," Simmons said. "They had every reason and right to challenge the annexation, but it's degraded into personal attacks and crazy rumors and innuendos. I find them parked outside my house with big signs and rude sayings."
