Yes, Jack Evans is white; yes, he has a white wife; and, yes—surprise here—he has three white children. That Washington City Paper should characterize a Christmas card depicting these completely unremarkable facts as a “publicity stunt” is baffling (“Camera-Ready,” 1/9). Are you suggesting that Evans’ strategy to be elected mayor of a predominantly African-American city is to emphasize how white he is? Equally puzzling is your dismissal of activities—attending community meetings, chairing the judiciary committee, and debating a broad range of issues of interest to his constituents—as efforts to do “everything possible to get his name in public circulation.” These “headline grabs” sound an awful lot like what I expect my councilmember to be doing.

Absurd cheap shots seriously undermine whatever credibility the City Paper has as a liberal voice. If you oppose Evans’ candidacy, one hopes that your objections go beyond his race and the fact that he does his job.

Washington, D.C.

via the Internet