A political attack ad targeting Springfield school board incumbent Charles Taylor started airing Monday on KY3.
The 30-second ad paid for by Truth In Politics alleges the school district is "paralyzed by politics" and falsely claims that Taylor — first elected in 2016 — "hijacks meetings so he can push critical race theories over and over again."
The ad juxtaposes stark images of Taylor against sunny stock images of children, in and out of classrooms, as a voiceover asks: "How does that solve the problem of Springfield students' ACT scores plummeting? It doesn't."
Campaign photos of Steve Makoski and Kelly Byrne — including a photo of Byrne with his wife and two children — are shown as the ad concludes by saying: "It's time to get back to priorities. Elect Kelly Byrne and Steve Makoski. Let's put parents back in control. Let's put children first for a change."
Taylor, Byrne and Makoski responded to the News-Leader's request for comment. They are among five candidates — along with Chad Courtney and Brandi VanAntwerp — on the April 5 ballot.
"The ad is materially false. However, that isn't what concerns me most," said Taylor, a professor of communication at Drury University. "What disappoints me even more is that the campaign, SPS, our community, and our democracy deserves better."
In response to the News-Leader, Byrne said the ad was in "very poor taste" and pointed to a statement posted on his Facebook campaign page.
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