Danks funds 11th-hour campaign attack against Mosby, Weaver

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A former local Democratic Party chair paid for a mailing attacking two Democratic City Council members seeking re-election on Tuesday.

Thousands of Evansville residents received a piece of mail with “ABUSER” over a photo of At-Large Councilor Jonathan Weaver. Another mailer states Second Ward Councilor Missy Mosby has done nothing for her ward but a lot for herself. It shows Mosby's photo alongside those of yellow vehicles including a boat and a Hummer.

Scott Danks funded the mailing. Danks said Mosby’s and Weaver’s opponents in Tuesday’s election knew nothing about the mailing and are not associated with it in any way.

“This is solely my doing,” Danks said.

Mosby’s re-election challenger in the Second Ward is Republican Natalie Rascher. Weaver is one of six candidates in at At-Large contest where the top three finishers win council seats.

More: Mosby, Rascher vie for Second Ward Evansville City Council seat

Danks in July stepped down as leader of the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party. He was the City Council’s attorney for three years, until the end of 2015. Danks left that role on his own accord.

Danks said he sent the mailing about Mosby to 3,000 Second Ward residents. The Weaver mailing went to 6,000 homes throughout the city.

Mosby and Weaver have often been political allies over the years.

“I don’t think either one of them are fit for public office,” Danks said. “… My experience and that of others with these two individuals has been extremely negative. They are so involved in fighting. Because of that, in my opinion, they are totally ineffective as council members and poor representatives of the city of Evansville.”

Danks said Mosby is “extremely paranoid. She frequently believes people are out to get her. She’s very vindictive and makes a lot of personal attacks against people. It’s been my experience that any time you want to have a discussion with Missy, her first question is, 'how is this going to benefit me?'”

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Danks said Weaver is “just an angry man, a time bomb that’s going to set off at any time. The most verbally abusive person I’ve ever run across. He frequently tries to intimidate people, and he’s been accused by women of abuse. Women have had to seek protective orders against him. At least one was granted."

A search of court records in Vanderburgh and surrounding counties found that Weaver has never faced any criminal charges related to domestic abuse or violence or been convicted of any crimes.

In February 2017, Weaver was charged with invasion of privacy, a misdemeanor, but the charge was dismissed later that year. Danks represented Weaver in the case. It stemmed from an ex-wife's accusation that Weaver came close to her while she worked in concessions at a Ford Center event in December 2016.

In 2000, a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident was dismissed shortly after it was filed when a judge found there was no probable cause.

Weaver reiterated that he's never faced any criminal charges related to domestic abuse or violence or been convicted of any crime in a text message to a Courier & Press reporter.

"It's disheartening that my former attorney would stoop to this level of unprofessionalism," the text message from Weaver read. "Going by his own words in numerous media outlets over a year ago, today's comments are misleading.

"We feel strongly enough about our position that we filed a Request for Investigation with the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission and are considering further legal action."

He provided C&P with a copy of the request.

Danks said he spent the majority of his time acting as an ombudsman when he was the city council's attorney.

“Missy Mosby and Jonathan Weaver were constantly going on the attack, fighting people for any reason. They would make promises about improving their behavior, and as soon as the meeting was over they would go back to their ways.”

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Danks said he’s speaking out now because as Democratic Party chair, party rules dictated that he could not make critical statements of those in his party.

“I have absolutely nothing to gain here,” Danks said. “I know they are going to start engaging in personal attacks against me … If they get re-elected, fine. If they don’t get re-elected, fine. I have spoken my peace, and I’ve got a clear conscience.”

Weaver referred the Courier & Press to comments Danks made to the newspaper in 2017, when Danks represented Weaver in the restraining order matter. Danks told the newspaper at the time that the protective order was a "mutual order" agreed upon by Weaver and the woman in question.

Mosby on Thursday night denounced the mailer which targeted her as “sleazy” and “disgusting” and said vehicles shown in the mailing are owned by her boyfriend.

“I believe Evansville is better than this and voters will not stand for lies and sexist attacks,” Mosby said on Facebook. “I am proud of my record as your City Council member.”

Mosby declined to comment beyond her Facebook statement.

Rascher said in her own Facebook post that she did not condone the mailer and knew nothing about it. She told the Courier & Press she had never met Danks before. Danks confirmed that.

Edie Hardcastle, who replaced Danks as Democratic chair, condemned the mailings.

“Those mailers are funded by somebody who doesn’t live in the city of Evansville,” Hardcastle said. “They are being funded by someone who’s not focused on issues impacting those who live in the city. What we’re going to do is keep working hard for all Democratic candidates we support, and those include Missy Mosby and Jonathan Weaver. We’re going to keep focused on issues like infrastructure, police-community relationships. We’re going to let the mudslinging continue but focus on those issues.”

Danks defended the mailers.

"There’s nothing that is actionable with those mailers," he said. "Me calling Weaver an abuser? He is an abuser. He’s the most verbally abusive person I’ve met in or out of politics."

The photos of Mosby's vehicles "came from her Facebook page," Danks said. "The point of the mailer is, she’s a self-serving person who serves herself rather than citizens of the Second Ward, and I’ll stand by that any day of the week."