Collier school board candidate's newsletter targeted two moms. Now, they want answers

Two Naples mothers had an all but normal start to a recent week when their advocacy work was thrust into the spotlight as the subject of a school board candidate's political campaign against her opponent.

"I woke up to a message from a friend letting me know that I had been the victim of a political attack ad by a candidate running for school board," Megan Titcomb said. "At first, I was confused, wondering what in the world I could have done to garner that type of negative attention."

The ad in question was the campaign newsletter of Dr. Pam Cunningham, a candidate for the District 2 school board seat in Collier County. On the first page of the newsletter, one sentence read "my opponent and her supporters on the radical left are fighting to fundamentally transform our schools into centers of progressive indoctrination, meanwhile allowing true education to wither."

Below it was a photo of Titcomb and Amy Perwien at a Naples Pride event.

Titcomb and Perwien strongly object to this characterization of themselves and the use of the photo for political purposes. Despite Cunningham's claims of "radical" leftism, both women are registered Republicans. The photo of them was at a private event, unrelated to Collier schools.

"Naples Pride has no affiliation with Collier County public schools," Titcomb said. "The event where the picture was taken was not a school event, and it most certainty had nothing to do with Pam's opponent, Stephanie Lucarelli."

In the photo, Titcomb and Perwien are holding awards they won for their volunteer work at the 2024 Miss Naples Pride Pageant. The annual pageant is a ticketed fundraiser and awards ceremony, where Naples Pride crowns that years 'Miss Naples Pride' and gives awards to allies and advocates for their time and dedication to the organization.

Perwien received "Ally of the Year" and Titcomb received a "Rainbow Warrior" award. Titcomb was shocked to find that the photos and text that Cunningham used were taken directly from her Facebook. The posts were more than two months old.

"It was an honor being recognized for my advocacy, and one that I was proud to share on social media," Titcomb said. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that a candidate would steal my image and use it as an attack ad."

Titcomb and Perwien have children in Collier County schools and were initially concerned that the newsletter posed a threat to them and their family's safety as they were both identified by full name. Perwien says she was shocked and disappointed that a school board candidate would attack Collier parents in her campaign materials.

"I would hope that a school board candidate would appreciate parents who are involved in the community and support our schools," Perwien said. "Personally, I have devoted many hours to community advocacy, to speaking at school board meetings in support of students, and to reviewing educational materials."

Perwien created a Facebook post to let other Naples parents know how their image had been used by Cunningham. Later that day, she posted her concerns to a "Naples Moms" Facebook group with thousands of members. The post garnered immense support from fellow Collier schools parents and more than 150 comments.

"I do not post often on social media and rarely publicly, but I could not remain silent," Perwien said. "I spoke out because I do not want any other parents to be put in this situation; I sincerely hope that Cunningham reconsiders her campaign tactics."

At the time of the newsletter, Perwien and Titcomb confirmed that they had never met nor spoken with Cunningham. However, the two women attended the Golden Gate Civic Association's Straw Poll and Candidate Forum the day after Cunningham's newsletter was sent out and met her there.

"I have since met her," Perwien said, referring to the Straw Poll. "I asked if she had anything to say to me and her response was 'no.'"

Despite Titcomb and Perwien's protest against the use of their photo and interactions with Cunningham, the school board candidate's latest newsletter on Monday, July 15, still featured the photo of both women at the Naples Pride award ceremony. The photo is under a section of the newsletter titled "Our Opponent's Supporters."

Naples Daily News was unable reach Pam Cunningham for comment. We emailed her campaign three times with no response.