City Councilman John Crawford on Tuesday publicly denounced an ad he believes promotes discrimination and asked the Republican mayoral nominee to do the same.

Crawford, R-at large, delivered a short speech at the end of Tuesday’s council meeting when he attacked an ad sponsored by the American Family Association of Indiana, which said Christians have an important decision in the mayor’s race because Democrat Tom Henry has “repeatedly authored legislation promoting the gay-rights agenda.”

“The ad is misleading and appeals to the base instincts of intolerance and bigotry,” Crawford said. “This is the most reprehensible campaign ad I have ever encountered in this area.”

Crawford condemned the organization and asked GOP mayoral candidate Matt Kelty to do the same, “unless he agrees with the message.”

Kelty said Tuesday he has still not had time to listen to the ad, saying he doesn’t listen to the Christian radio station airing it and hasn’t received the ad in an e-mail or taken the time to find it online.

Allen County Republican Chairman Steve Shine also repudiated the ad last week.

Micah Clark, president of the family group, wrote a three-page letter to Shine explaining there is a difference between homosexuals and the “legitimate civil rights struggles” of minorities in the 1960s. The letter outlined several people who have spoken about the problems with legislation intended to protect homosexuals.

Clark wrote that the most important issues to his supporters are marriage protection, abortion, religious freedom, homosexual activism and pornography. He added that “values voters” make up half of faithful Republican voters.

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