Hermes battles back against Brock hit piece

Ed Hermes, who is challenging Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock for the latter's 1st District seat, told PolitickerAZ.com that the incumbent is "trying to belittle me" through bringing up potentially embarrassing details of Hermes's past.

Brock sent out a direct mail piece that lays out the two candidates' records, with Brock's column including highlights of his long career as supervisor and tenure as a state representative, while Hermes's column includes such things as "still lives at his parents' house," "appeared on the MTV reality show 'Room Raiders,'" "skilled player of popular video game Halo" and, more seriously, "involved in five run-ins with the law in a 12-month period."

Hermes, however, said the claims were misleading or false, and that the piece omitted his work as director of external affairs for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, serving on the Arizona Board of Regents and seat on the Governor's Smart Growth Cabinet.

"[Brock] is clearly trying to distract, mislead and in some cases lie to voters," said Hermes. "He is trying to distract from his poor record as county supervisor."

For the record, Hermes said he does not live with his parents, and the run-ins with the law were the result of speeding tickets and subsequent notices for court appearances being sent to the wrong address.

Asked if his youth - Hermes is 24 - was a legitimate issue in the campaign, Hermes said, "I think voters I've talked to of all ages happy to see someone younger and of the next generation try to make a difference and clean up the county ."