FORT WAYNE – The Republican candidate for Fort Wayne clerk has escalated a war of words with the president of the Fort Wayne Community Schools Board via a flippant tweet.
While attending the City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, GOP clerk candidate Zach Bonahoom felt the need to take a verbal swing at FWCS board President Mark GiaQuinta.
Bonahoom wrote on Twitter, “Mark GiaQuinta sitting behind me at City Council...will need a shower when I get home.”
On Wednesday, Bonahoom defended the statement as a jab back at GiaQuinta, who wrote a letter to the editor last month criticizing Bonahoom for trying to take an active role in a City Council meeting despite not holding office. In the letter, GiaQuinta called Bonahoom’s actions “tawdry” and asked Bonahoom and City Councilwoman Liz Brown, R-at-large, to apologize.
“Both these individuals owe (Sandy) Kennedy, the City Council and the public an apology for using such poor judgment. Fortunately, one is leaving elected office and, hopefully, the other will not be given the opportunity to hold it,” GiaQuinta wrote.
That statement was off base and “phony,” Bonahoom said, because it smacked of political posturing. GiaQuinta serves on a non-partisan board but has been active in the local Democratic Party for years.
“He obviously doesn’t have any idea what is going on,” Bonahoom said. “If he had a problem with me, he could have called me up.”
GiaQuinta said the recent tweet was a sign of Bonahoom’s immaturity and part of a pattern showing how unprepared Bonahoom, 22, is to serve in an elected government position.
“It sounds like he has a lot of growing up to do,” GiaQuinta said.
If GiaQuinta was hurt by the tweet, Bonahoom said, “now he knows how I felt” about the letter to the editor.
Bonahoom said he would continue using Twitter because it is a medium that doesn’t need to be edited. He did clarify that his message on Tuesday did not mean GiaQuinta literally smelled.
