Pro-Slots Group Is Sailing On

On Closer Examination . . .

Whoops. Ward 3 council hopeful Robert Gordon recently claimed to have the endorsement of the Northwest Current, the ubiquitous free weekly that reaches more than 30,000 readers. But editor and publisher Davis Kennedy said Gordon should have read that editorial a little more carefully.

What it said was that Gordon and rival Mary Cheh "stood out among all the other candidates" in the crowded race to replace council member Kathy Patterson, Kennedy said. But then it went on to note that Cheh has a better grasp on citywide issues, leading the paper to "lean slightly for Ms. Cheh."

Kennedy said Gordon apologized for the mix-up. But he's not the only one apologizing in Ward 3.

In a separate incident, Cheh sent out a statement expressing regret for potentially misleading statements in a brochure distributed to about 15,000 people.

"A recent mailing from my campaign included quotes from people who were identified with their institutional affiliations. There was no attempt to suggest that these were endorsements from the institutions themselves," Cheh said in the statement.

The offending quotes came from Howard Nelson , executive director of the Washington Humane Society; Nan Aron , executive director of the Alliance for Justice; and Renee DeVigne , associate dean of student affairs at George Washington University Law School.

Cheh said she put out the clarification because nonprofit organizations are not supposed to get involved with politics, and she didn't want to "cause them any grief." Staff writer Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.