Letter defends family name, calls for honesty

Dear Editor:

 As a little girl, whenever our family traveled to different parts of the United States, one of the things we often did was open the local phone book to see if our family name appeared in it. The Giever family name was almost never found; however, my mother’s family name, Ryan, would sometimes fill pages.

 Were we related to all of those people? Perhaps in name only. Our family would most likely never have recognized another name-only family member when passing them on the street.

 Move to the (now defunct) Weiser phone book this same tome would have shown many familiar last names. Dickerson, for example, would have appeared often in the phone book. As would the Roberts name, the Walker name, Smith name, etc. etc.

 Does sharing a last name mean everyone is related? Of course not!

 The Roy Dickerson family, Rob and Doug and their kids were made aware of a statement made in campaign materials that the Dickerson name was being used to say that we, as if the Dickerson family, were involved in a lawsuit against the county regarding property splits.  Sadly, several family friends, having received said materials from this campaign, have even called to ask “is this about you?”

 Of note, the other people named in this mailer and posted on social medias were named using both the first and the last name.   Strangely, when naming the Dickerson individual, this person was named only as “the Dickersons.”  

 Information shared publicly – most especially during an election – should be accurate and properly verified before making blanket statements.

 We feel the Dickerson family name should not have been used in this manner. Campaigns should focus on issues, qualifications, and constructive discussion rather than using what we would term as “veiled references.”

 The Doug Dickerson family has respectfully asked the individual whose name appears on the campaign materials for a retraction and/or apology. As of today, nothing has happened.

 We sincerely hope this individual and their campaign choose to do the right thing – hopefully before the election. 

 The Doug Dickerson family continues to believe that campaigns should be respectful and professional based on honesty, integrity, and not “alluded-to” information.

Kyla Dickerson

Weiser, Idaho

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