Dec. 9, 2004
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Anonymously
yours
by JUDY HODGSON
OK, readers. You know who you
are.
I receive letters marked NFP
-- "not for publication" -- regularly. They are almost
always signed, or at least I have an e-mail address so I can
respond. I welcome them because usually a correspondent just
wants to (a) let off steam, (b) inform me about some deficiency
in my education, or (c) is just shy about expressing an opinion
to more than one person at a time.
I received a few notes in response
to my Nov. 11 column, "Sense,
sensibilities" regarding the motives behind Rob Arkley's
purchase of the Balloon Track. One woman, who identified herself
as a liberal, said she privately agreed with my column and wrote,
"[If Rob Arkley is] buying the property with all its warts
and is willing to do what it takes [good for him]. He doesn't
need the city throwing its money away." The very next day
I received an elegantly handwritten card accusing me of being
just another Arkley toadie. The writer said she looked forward
to the day I'll "eat crow in public." It was signed
with a fake name and a return address of "1 Aorta St., Arcata."
Receiving the anonymous note
reminded me of some unfinished business regarding the past election:
the two groups that contributed significant funds to influence
voters. Like my letter writer, they are apparently unwilling
to have their names attached to their words or deeds.
One group is the Humboldt Taxpayers
League, which paid for advertising to defeat Measure L, the 1
percent sales tax initiative for city and county services. Whether
the measure was a good one or not -- it was soundly defeated
-- the league should willingly reveal the specific source of
funds for its effort.
At first league officials did
not file financial disclosure information at all. When informed
of their obligation by Lindsey McWilliams, county elections official,
they responded by listing expenditures only, not contributors.
A few weeks ago, the league lamely amended the filing, adding
a list of its members but not those who contributed directly
to defeat Measure L.
That's not good enough. McWilliams
has asked the Fair Political Practices Commission for a determination.
This deliberate obfuscation shows either ignorance of or contempt
for campaign disclosure laws. Voters have a right to know where
the money is coming from to support or defeat a candidate or
an initiative. Every member of the Taxpayers League should demand
a full accounting and disclosure from its board.
The other group, "Eureka
Coalition for Jobs," is more mysterious. Voters may recall
the coalition paid for a flurry of last-minute television ads
and direct mailers attempting to malign incumbent Eureka City
Councilmember Chris Kerrigan and boost the chances of his challenger,
Rex Bohn. But the effort misfired, and even Bohn quickly distanced
himself from the ads. It was too late; the ads may have even
resulted in a wider margin of victory for Kerrigan.
Although the Times-Standard
has taken a lead by filing an FPPC complaint to reveal the financial
backers of the "Coalition for Jobs," this well financed
group may be just within the boundaries of the current disclosure
laws. If that is the case, we need to look at amendments that
will plug this loophole.
The election may be over, but
the media should stay on these stories until there is a resolution.
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