Loathing (and more loathing) on the campaign trail
The slung mud in the Sonoma City Council race is piling up faster than you can recycle the fliers it’s printed on. Several anonymous campaign hit pieces have surfaced, at least two of which were delivered by the U.S. mail — such unattributed material is illegal; the state commission is looking into it. The general message urges “new blood on the council” with votes for three candidates. All three deny being involved. Much of the hot rhetoric, direct and implied, disses Councilmember Rachel Hundley, an enemy of pro-development forces. Taking credit for one piece of the drivel is Sara Travis, who seems to exist only as an email address. Her texted reply to The Sun. “I am an individual, live in Sonoma and I paid for my No on Prop 10 mailer. None of the candidates I mentioned in my mailer were aware of it or requested my support. There is no (campaign law) violation.” In all likelihood, ‘Travis’ is an alias; in fact, several other ‘people’ who frequently post similar comments to The Sun and Index Tribune sites share the same digital IP address, which means they emanate from the exact same wifi network (one of which has been linked to developer Ed Routhier; he denies it.)… Travis refused to offer any proof of residence, despite a guarantee of privacy — a standard journalism ethic. She bristled at the affront of being asked to verify she is indeed a Sonoma voter, since there is no record of it. Such a request “is unbelievably frightening and creepy,” she said, going on the offensive. “Threatening an individual exercising free speech with a (campaign) violation is more bullying tactics by the Rachel Hundley crowd, intended to shut down opposing views. I fear for my and my families (sic) well being standing up to her and her rabid supporters.” When you vote on Tuesday, wear your mud boots.
Meanwhile, a curiosity from the camp — as in Sonoma Dog Camp — of the James Cribb campaign. On his official candidate form, Cribb listed the address for his business, the dog camp storefront on Broadway, as his home address. This was troublesome to many, since the building is commercial, not residential. Cribb explains it this way: in 2006, the use permit was updated to allow the 24/7 presence of overnight staff. He and his wife are now that staff. And the building had plumbing facilities, and you can put a bed anywhere. “It’s an unconventional lifestyle,” he says, but it’s totally legal.
Proving that the new-and-improved Sun always delivers 10 percent more good news, Mar-Val Foods, the new owner of the Glen Ellen Market, says it will keep senior discount Tuesdays. That’s in line with Sonoma Market (still owned by Nugget Foods) but not Whole Foods, which ditched the weekly deal in deference to Amazon policy.
Quipster John is a big Joni Mitchell fan, looking forward to a local tribute show on Nov. 20 (page 21). “I would usually take Uber to the club,” he asides. “But out of respect for Joni, I’ll be taking a Big Yellow Taxi.”
— Val Robichaud
