“A Deal With the Devil”

Yesterday I made a Facebook post remarking on the tasteless political ads featured in the local newspaper. The entire county has seen the “Keep Joe Reed, Elect Winters” signs around Summerville & Lyerly, but yesterday in the paper, an ad ran that simply said “Remember Lamar Canada, Vote Jimmy Holbrook”. I, without checking to see who purchased the ad or why, posted on my personal Facebook page that the ads both seemed somewhat tasteless. I was promptly informed that Jane Canada, widow of Lamar Canada, purchased the ad after asking Jimmy Holbrook if it was okay with him. When asked why Ms. Canada purchased the ad, she replied “just to refresh everyone’s memory of  the terrible way my husband was treated.”

Joe Reed was hired by Jason Winters after coming within 200 votes of beating him in the 2012 democratic primary. The sole commissioner then created a position for Reed following the election. There was no vacancy that needed to be filled. Sources claim that the position was designed to prevent Reed from running again in the future by offering a salary and benefits (including a county vehicle) for a position that Lamar Canada already carried out the duties for. During the current commissioner race, after a quote by challenger Jimmy Holbrook suggested getting rid of the position created for Reed in an effort to balance the county budget, Winters chose his 2016 campaign slogan as “Keep Joe Reed”.

So how was Lamar Canada treated by sole commissioner Jason Winters?

“I as well as Lamar were very disappointed in the way everything was done. Jason made a deal with the devil and ask us to go along with it. He called Lamar and I both in after the primary and said that he would have never beat Joe if it had not been for our help. That Lamar had a job as long as he was commissioner, which we both believed him. Then when he made the deal with the devil, he once again called Lamar in and told him that if he had not hired Joe, that Joe would have helped Dwayne Dawson and Dwayne would of beat him. But once again, he reassured nothing would change, that he would keep his office, truck and everything remain as it was or maybe a promotion and be better. Shorty after Lamar was out sick, Joe made a trip to my husbands office where he told a county employee that my husband was going to be sent to the transfer station to work until he was humiliated and quit. And also mentioned a few other things that would take place. And one by one that’s what happened. My husband was miserable. But we had a son in college and he carried our insurance since I am self employed. The day he was fired I had a customer to tell me it was going to happen and even the day it was going to happen. I know jobs come and go, especially in politics, but the deceit and humiliation that my husband and our family endured makes it difficult to forgive and forget,” said Jane Canada.

When asked how Ms. Canada felt about Jason Winters using Joe Reed’s name to get elected, “I am embarrassed that he feels the need.”

The final question I asked Ms. Canada was if there was anything else she wanted the community to know she answered, “Jason Winters is not a man of his word.”