Anonymous attacks, abstentions in YL
Two items merit ink this week:
--Anonymous attacks involving City Council incumbents and candidates are nothing new, having played a role in several municipal elections since three of the city’s first council members lost their seats in a bruising 1970 battle.
But lately, the unsigned flyers and unidentified telephone calls of earlier years have been replaced by shadowy websites created by people who lack the courage to own up to their assaults on electoral integrity.
The first furtive website appeared in the 2007 special election involving two former council members, Hank Wedaa and Keri Wilson, and newcomer Victoria Gulickson. Wedaa won that contest but lost in 2008, ending a 30-year council career.
A so-called “truth” site relentlessly attacked Wedaa and even spun a conspiracy theory between Wedaa and Gulickson, who hadn’t met before the campaign. Despite several community-wide calls for transparency, the site’s blogger never came forward.
Somebody also registered versions of Wedaa’s name for web addresses, hampering his effort to create a genuine campaign page. Of course, the registrations were anonymous.
First victim of a secretive hit site this year is Mayor John Anderson, who, ironically, is not seeking a second council term. But Anderson’s name was registered in a domain address for a year beginning May 1, before he announced he wouldn’t be in the race.
As expected, the registration was anonymous, at a sale price of $10.69 from Go Daddy, a domain registration firm. The sham site incorporates Anderson’s official city portrait, but the content attacks Anderson and frequent council allies Nancy Rikel and Mark Schwing.
--Councilwoman Jan Horton stated she would have abstained on council’s 3-0 vote supporting Arizona’s controversial illegal immigration law, if she had been present. She labeled the issue “emotional” and “not city business.”
But a little-noticed Municipal Code section might have prevented Horton’s abstention, if the term “councilman” is considered generic and not gender-specific. And if she actually abstained, her vote might have been recorded as “affirmative” on the proclamation.
Here’s the pertinent code section: “No City Councilman shall be permitted to disqualify himself and abstain from voting unless the disqualification shall have been approved by the City Attorney or by unanimous vote of the remainder of the City Council present.”
The section’s next sentence: “Unapproved disqualifications and abstentions shall be counted by the City Clerk as an affirmative vote.”
The City Attorney regularly advises council members to abstain, if a vote would be a conflict-of-interest, which wouldn’t be the case in the Arizona matter. And Anderson, Rikel and Schwing weren’t likely to vote to allow Horton to abstain.
Jim Winder had left the meeting after speaking against the proclamation but before public comment and the vote.
--Anonymous attacks involving City Council incumbents and candidates are nothing new, having played a role in several municipal elections since three of the city’s first council members lost their seats in a bruising 1970 battle.
But lately, the unsigned flyers and unidentified telephone calls of earlier years have been replaced by shadowy websites created by people who lack the courage to own up to their assaults on electoral integrity.
The first furtive website appeared in the 2007 special election involving two former council members, Hank Wedaa and Keri Wilson, and newcomer Victoria Gulickson. Wedaa won that contest but lost in 2008, ending a 30-year council career.
A so-called “truth” site relentlessly attacked Wedaa and even spun a conspiracy theory between Wedaa and Gulickson, who hadn’t met before the campaign. Despite several community-wide calls for transparency, the site’s blogger never came forward.
Somebody also registered versions of Wedaa’s name for web addresses, hampering his effort to create a genuine campaign page. Of course, the registrations were anonymous.
First victim of a secretive hit site this year is Mayor John Anderson, who, ironically, is not seeking a second council term. But Anderson’s name was registered in a domain address for a year beginning May 1, before he announced he wouldn’t be in the race.
As expected, the registration was anonymous, at a sale price of $10.69 from Go Daddy, a domain registration firm. The sham site incorporates Anderson’s official city portrait, but the content attacks Anderson and frequent council allies Nancy Rikel and Mark Schwing.
--Councilwoman Jan Horton stated she would have abstained on council’s 3-0 vote supporting Arizona’s controversial illegal immigration law, if she had been present. She labeled the issue “emotional” and “not city business.”
But a little-noticed Municipal Code section might have prevented Horton’s abstention, if the term “councilman” is considered generic and not gender-specific. And if she actually abstained, her vote might have been recorded as “affirmative” on the proclamation.
Here’s the pertinent code section: “No City Councilman shall be permitted to disqualify himself and abstain from voting unless the disqualification shall have been approved by the City Attorney or by unanimous vote of the remainder of the City Council present.”
The section’s next sentence: “Unapproved disqualifications and abstentions shall be counted by the City Clerk as an affirmative vote.”
The City Attorney regularly advises council members to abstain, if a vote would be a conflict-of-interest, which wouldn’t be the case in the Arizona matter. And Anderson, Rikel and Schwing weren’t likely to vote to allow Horton to abstain.
Jim Winder had left the meeting after speaking against the proclamation but before public comment and the vote.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
<< Home