Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill claimed his name and image were used to deceive voters into thinking that he supported former Jeff Herdman’s campaign for City Council.
In a letter distributed to local news outlets and published on Facebook Oct. 15, O’Neill referred to two fliers that were mailed to voters by Herdman’s campaign. One includes a photo showing Herdman and O’Neill as well members of the City Council and Chamber of Commerce in front of the Balboa Island Museum. The picture was shot at an event recognizing the work of the museum’s founder, Shirley Pepys, and accompanied by a caption reading “Preserving our city’s special heritage.”
“If Mayor O’Neill chose to interpret that picture as an endorsement of me, that’s unfortunate,” Herdman told the Daily Pilot over the phone Tuesday. “That’s his interpretation. I have certainly not sought his endorsement and would not seek his endorsement.”…