The lieutenant governor bid of Nicole Wadsworth has taken yet another odd turn as she recently attempted an "off the record" clarification of her credentials through a legal firm.
Earlier this month, 1819 News reported on the excoriating email sent by Wadsworth's former campaign manager to reporters across the state, requesting she be referred to by her academic title, "Dr. Nicole Wadsworth," in recognition of her alleged Ph.D.
What followed were weeks of public flogging from the media and social commentators who found the request to be egotistical and distasteful.
Wadsworth, the wife of State Rep. Tim Wadsworth (R-Arley), announced her candidacy for the seat last month.
To make matters worse, the day before her entire campaign staff reportedly quit en masse, her now-former campaign manager, Hunter Weathers, sent out an email to clarify what he claimed to be misleading and inaccurate information.
"In an earlier communication, our campaign made a mistype, specifically the institution that conferred her Ph.D. It was mentioned that she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Alabama; however, she has her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She began graduate level coursework at the University of Alabama, then transferred to the Florida Institute of Technology - Huntsville campus and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science in Acquisition and Contract Management. She completed her Ph.D. at North Central Theological Seminary, with research focused on how economic theory can be applied to understand the role of nonprofits, including faith-based organizations, in revitalizing economically distressed towns."
According to the school's website, North Central Theological Seminary is accredited by a religious organization not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education.
After weeks of prolonged silence from the campaign, Wadsworth sent out another communique to a number of media organizations, including Yellowhammer News, this time affixed to legal letterhead, offering to clarify her position, so long as those clarifications were off the record.
While her husband works for his own law firm, the letter came from Lambert Worldwide, which boasts itself as providing "commercially minded, holistic legal solutions that will change your view of lawyers as roadblocks on your path to success to crucial members of your team who help ensure your success."
While the letter states it does not constitute a notice of intent to take legal action, the letter's tone could certainly be interpreted as the opposite.
Wadsworth Letter. by Craig Monger on Scribd
"While we support the media and free speech rights, we believe there are additional facts and/or context, of which you may be unaware, that would change the nature of the story, result in potential inaccuracies, or inadvertently lead readers to an inaccurate conclusion," the letter reads. "Furthermore, Nicole is suffering ongoing, negative impacts on their personal and professional lives as a result of the media on this topic and the ease with which it is discoverable via internet search."
"We are happy to provide further details. However, due to the sensitive nature of some information we are only able to do so if you agree to keep any information disclosed strictly off the record," the letter adds.
"Nicole wishes to move beyond all the negative online media," it continues. "While certain information should be archived, it is no secret that the Internet and technology have made it increasingly difficult to move beyond any type of negative associations, regardless of accuracy and veracity, no matter how small. Therefore, we request that the URL in question be removed from your website. Alternatively, we are open to compromise arrangements such as de-indexing, editing, or name-removal."
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