Kerry Smith’s first official action as mayor of Gearhart appears to be to launch a smear campaign against my family, in retaliation for my being a vocal opponent of the recent $14.5 million fire bond levy.

Here’s how they did it: Somebody connected with City Hall managed to obtain access to a private Instagram account of my wife, who was using it to share photos with our extended family. This person sifted through 167 photos and posts to find one photo that involved my son, a decorated U.S. Marine who fought with honor in the 2003 Iraq war.

This photo was archived over six years ago, before we even moved to Gearhart. It was taken to memorialize what our son and his fellow combatants endured and witnessed, some of the worst atrocities that can be imagined during his service, including battlefield deaths of his close friends and comrades.

The contents of that photo included guns and the Bible.

Whoever breached my wife’s account then showed this six-year-old photo to Smith, who said he was “sickened” by it, that it showed the worst possible character, and that it represented a threat to the city that necessitates an immediate beefing of security at city hall, including canceling of in-person council meetings, to prevent people who would share such a photo from bringing weapons to city hall and physically threatening the mayor and City Council.

This response is ridiculous. It is beyond belief.

Might I remind Smith that the U.S. military has used, and continues to use, modern weapons to defend the freedoms of this country that we enjoy and are celebrating this July 4. Might I remind Smith also that the Bible is considered a sacred text by many members of this community, including military veterans who have sacrificed their lives to protect his freedoms, in sickness or in health.

Also, let me ask Smith and Bowman: How did you know to connect my wife’s name to this photo? The only people with access to her personal account were our close family and friends. Did you, or somebody connected with city hall, create a pseudonym to obtain access, in order to try to dig up dirt on your political opponent? Where is the “anonymous letter” that you claim contained this picture? Why did you not show this letter to the county sheriff? Why did you not contact us to find out the context and date of the photo? You have our address and phone number. And, what does a six-year-old photo taken in Washington state have to do with Gearhart in 2022?

To the rest of Gearhart: this photo was taken from a place of pain and grief, and meant to be an inspiring memorial for our U.S. Marine son. It was stolen from a private family group by Gearhart City Hall and willfully distorted into something unspeakably ugly, and posted as such on the city’s public website, with our family name underneath.

This action by Smith, Bowman and City Hall is despicable. It is nothing less than a manipulative, dishonest, cynical smear of a political opponent. There is no threat to City Hall, there is no reason to block the public from attending council meetings, and Gearhart residents are not dumb, and they are not falling for this stunt.

That Smith has signed on to this reprehensible act as his first public action as mayor is an embarrassment to the city. It does not bode well for his administration or the future of our community.

Jack Zimmerman

Gearhart