Written by From today’s Seattle Times. My only comment is that anyone could have downloaded Kevin Poole’s graphics, and pasted them on Cheryl Haskins yard signs. And anyone could have stolen her yard signs, or they could have blown down, or been ravaged by brush-cutting equipment. Everybody loses yard signs. Cheryl Haskins should not have accused Kevin Poole of stealing her signs, especially to a newspaper with millions of readers, without evidence. Mr. Poole’s method of getting the word out appears to be through his website and his own signs, not through law-breaking.
I don’t think Cheryl is taking down other’s yard signs either. But it’s been said that the people most-likely to accuse others of stealing signs are the ones doing it themselves. People should consider this before baselessly accusing others.
Election 2007
Renton City Council candidate says critic violating finance statutes
By Cara Solomon
Seattle Times South King County reporter
A Renton City Council candidate has alleged that a vocal critic violated campaign-finance rules with an antagonistic Web site and yard signs.
In a complaint Wednesday to the state Public Disclosure Commission, Cheryl Haskins claims Renton resident Kevin Poole did not properly register as a political committee.
PDC spokeswoman Lori Anderson said she could not comment on the complaint, and that the agency would decide within a couple of weeks whether to investigate.
State law defines a political committee as a person or group fundraising in favor of, or in opposition to, a candidate or ballot measure.
Poole said he contacted the PDC early on to ask for advice.
“I made a good-faith effort to determine what the rules and regulations were,” he said. “I believed I was working within the law.”
On his Web site, Poole questions Haskins’ candidacy, saying it’s funded mostly by people who live outside Renton, some of them affiliated with a group called Allies for Marriage and Children, a nonprofit that has fought in Olympia against gay marriage and domestic-partnership benefits. Until recently, Haskins was executive director of the group.
Poole’s yard signs claim outside interests are funding Haskins’ campaign.
Haskins has argued that her views on gay marriage have no place in local politics, and that she has the experience, as a former businesswoman and teacher, and the fresh perspective to help Renton as it grows.
Former Councilmember King Parker is her opponent.
Haskins said she filed the complaint because it seemed clear from the number of yard signs Poole has put up, that he’s spent significant money and should have filed with the PDC by now.
“He’s not complying with the public-disclosure laws. He needs to be called on it.”
Poole said he funded his campaign with his own credit card, which would suggest he does not fit the definition of a political committee. But the PDC said Poole may have misunderstood other campaign-finance rules.
Until Wednesday, Poole’s Web site had a link that asked people who felt similarly about Haskins’ political views to vote for her opponent. That put him in the category of an individual who is doing independent ads for or against a candidate or ballot measure, Anderson said.
And in that case, Poole is supposed to file with the PDC after spending $100.
Poole said he understood from his earlier conversation with the PDC that the limit was $700. After a discussion with staff Wednesday, Poole said he was filling out the necessary paperwork for the $650 he’s already spent.
“I’m a stickler for details, and obviously in this case there was a misunderstanding,” he said.
Haskins said she has also filed a complaint with the Renton Police Department, saying someone stole 600 yard signs, and that some that remain are papered over with Poole’s stickers.
In an interview, she suggested Poole could have been involved. He denied that, saying he would never try to suppress her message.
Cara Solomon: 206-464-2024 or csolomon@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Thanks, Randy. Indeed, it’s upsetting that Cheryl’s lame sign-stealing accusation against me received any attention at all, but it was her intention to spread that rumor in an attempt to silence and/or punish me. She (or her people) called the Times and the Reporter to inform them of the PDC complaint and the police report. By the way, I have yet to receive a call from the police, which would suggest that they aren’t taking her false claims seriously.
I think this whole thing speaks volumes about her integrity. As one astute political insider told me yesterday, I’ve backed her into a corner, and she’s going to try everything to shift the attention away from the criticisms I have of her candidacy. The good news is that by specifically telling two newspapers she believed I was behind the sign-stealing, she has now publicly slandered my name, and I am not running for office, nor am I a recognized public figure. Therefore, should I choose to do so, I could pursue legal action against her, taking advantage of the free legal support I’ve been offered. But it’s really not my intention to do so, unless she continues to defame me with false accusations.
I’ve heard back from the PDC after filing my C6 form, and let’s just say things are looking good. I expect to be fully exonerated by them within a couple days. Cheryl was trying to force my hand, thinking that some outside organization is behind my opposition to her, but she’s wrong: it’s just me here, and I have proven that fact.
Fortunately, this will all be over soon, and I can get back to my normal life. I have a lot of laundry to do and bills to pay. . The good news is that I’m now getting some incredible moral support from my neighbors, my co-workers (including the entire executive team where I work), community leaders, and perfect strangers.
I’ve shut off comments on my blog for now, as I really don’t have the time or energy to respond to people’s comments right now. Plus, I really feel like that I (and my detractors) have discussed all the issues ad nauseum.
Kevin
I get the sense the if(when) she wins, Kevin would continue his attack.
I only hope that if she does win, the rest of you council members would cease with the campaign rhetoric, and work together on the Renton growth and livability issues.
I don’t think Kevin would attack Cheryl if she won, but I wouldn’t expect him to go away either. This is the difference between being an elected official, versus sharing your views within your church. She could expect to get pretty constant scrutiny from people who are concerned about her views, at least until she can build trust that she is not a threat to their interests. She is probably not off to a great start with Kevin, as she seems to have publicly accused him of a crime today in the Seattle Times.
Still, if she is everything her supporters say, maybe she can earn back his trust. Well see.
Politics requires a forgiving heart. It’s been said that in politics friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate. 🙂
It’s not an “attack” — it’s an expression of my First Amendment rights, achieved through ethical, legal means. And no, I wouldn’t continue to draw attention to Cheryl’s past if she wins a seat on the council. Other council members will be more than happy to keep her divisive views in check. But at this point, the likelihood of her winning is pretty slim. Hopefully, she’ll lose by such an enormous margin that she won’t run for any other non-partisan office in our community. I’d love to see her run as a Republican for the state legislature, though!
No, Randy, not anyone!
Not just anyone would bother defacing Cheryl Haskins’ signs. The “anyone” is obviously those associated with her opponents campaign. I hope the voters can tell what a well oiled machine the Denis Law and associates campaign was this year. We are sick of expensive full page ads. The rich people may want to run Renton, but I hope the grass roots voters see through this and vote for Cheryl and for Terry Persson. We sure don’t need another four years of King Parker. We had enough last time.
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
It’s not a slick Denis Law group – some of us citizens are just disgusted and fed up with a confrontational ineffective Mayor Kathy – she sucks, and needs to go for the sake of the City !
As for Cheryl:
If Haskins says she’s “ready now to turn her attention to Renton”, then she should start by getting involved in local community groups, charities, etc. She says she’s a 10-year Renton resident, but has no track record of involvement in Renton organizations or issues. Our City Council members need to know and work with us all to make important decisions that affect us all (and our tax money), and to do so they need to be involved in the community, not on the outside looking in. She needs to get to know us, and pay her dues, before trying to take a leadership position in a City where nobody knows her and she doesn’t know us. She should learn on her time, not at our expense.
She says she’s getting outside money because it’s her first time running and these are the people who know her. That speaks volumes – she is getting outside money and little local endorsements because she has not been involved within the commmunity she thinks she should now be allowed to lead.
She got the firefighters because they are mad at King about some vote or decision he made sometime in the past. Shame on them for supporting an unknown with no track record just to get even with King.
Cheryl, I’m sure you’re a nice person, but you’re not ready for Renton, and we’re not ready for you.
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
I am ready for her! Sometimes, it is good to bring experience in from the outside to shake things up, look at issues differently, etc. Successful companies do this all the time. Avoiding “group think” and new ways of looking at things is not only not a bad thing, it is a great idea. There would be a good mix of existing members (who know where the skeletons are) and someone with a fresh perspective. A successful business person, great education, involvement in the larger community, here in the community for over decade, sounds pretty good to me!
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
Has anyone thought to ask King Parker where he stands on gay rights issues?
For all we know, he may have the same opinion as Ms. Haskins.
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
I’ve been told by numerous people, including current members of the city council, that King has no problem with gay people, and that he’s a firm believer in individual rights. I have also been forwarded an email in which he makes those very statements. He also has a very long and distinguished track record of community service, and if he’d held any sort of prejudices, they probably would’ve been exposed by now, don’t you think?
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
I’m not ready for her, because I really don’t know anything about her but what she says (and doesn’t) in her campaign material and website. It’s like an incomplete resume – where are the references? How do you know she’s a successful business person? There aren’t even out-of-town endorsements to confirm that. Her fliers don’t say anything – they are fluff – who’s not for education, seniors, good jobs, low crime? There are no specifics on the flier or website – exactly how is she going to tackle those issues, and how is her approach so different from others? Some thoughts are better than none. Affordable housing – how – other than raising taxes on some to subsidize others, what’s left that’s new? What’s most difficult is without specifics from her, and without a local track record we can look at, how do we know she’s really as good a candidate as she would have us believe? You wouldn’t hire somebody with this little information, without details and confirmation from others. She’s certainly done some great things, and with some more time and involvment in Renton she may well turn out to be a more viable candidate for a leadership position. A previous post above lumped her in with Terry – he has a Renton track record of involvement and taking positions – she does not yet.
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
You don’t know about Cheryl? why not ask her?!! She certainly has been available via visits in my neighborhood, forums, etc! Rest assured, as a 9 year resident here, you do not have to be concerned about her experience. You have my word, go ahead and vote for her.
I am ready, as are most folks who take the time to talk, disucss and meet her, instead of “reading blogs”
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
If I hear the term “fresh perspective” one more time, I think I’m going to barf.
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
You’ve got a lot of nerve using the word “rich” to describe other candidates’ campaigns. Last time I checked, Cheryl Haskins was the only candidate receiving multiple checks of $2500, $4000 and $5000 from individual donors in places like Medina, Clyde Hill, and Bellevue. Grassroots? While Terry might qualify as such, Cheryl Haskins is more like “artificial grass.” Name one Renton community group she’s volunteered with or helped organized, not including her campaign’s membership in the Chamber of Commerce. She has demonstrated ZERO commitment to our city.
Re: No, Randy, not anyone! Cheryl
A look at the Renton Chamber newsletter will tell you that Cheryl Haskins just joined the Chamber in June 2007 right after she filed as a candidate. She is a Chamber member in the name of her campaign only. So let’s not give her any credit for local interest or involvement there either.
Re: No, Randy, not anyone!
From my blog at rentonfacts.blogspot.com:
Cheryl Haskins’ Supporter May Be the Real Sign-Stealer
Just when I thought things had calmed down, I received this email:
Date: November 1, 2007 5:52:47 PM PDT
To: info@rentonfacts.com
Subject: Haskin’s signs
Hello Kevin,
I spoke with Cara Soloman [of the Seattle Times] this afternoon after reading her article to get your web address. I wanted to share something with you.
On Monday as I was driving home from work, I observed a woman removing what I thought to be Haskins campaign signs from the south entrance to Gene Coulon Park. It angered me that someone would stoop that low.
I looked up her website, knowing nothing about the candidate and called them and let them know. My feelings were whatever side of the political spectrum they were on, this was just wrong. My mistake. I gave them the physical description of the woman and her license plate number and description of her SUV.
I grew up in Renton and work there, but live in Seattle about 1000 feet outside the city of Renton’s line – I say this to cover myself because I wasn’t paying attention to the campaign as it’s out of my area.
When I got home tonight I had a voicemail from Det. Barfeild (sp? – I have his tel. #) ) from the Renton Police Department. I returned his call and he asked me if I had seen this woman actually pull the signs out of the ground. I told him no, but I had seen her walking from the area where pol’s signs were clustered and she threw the sign in the back of her SUV. The officer told me that he had checked out the address of the licenses plate holder and that they had Haskins signs in their yard, so he assumed they were supporters simply maintaining her signs. I now realize that this supporter wasn’t pulling Haskins signs, but yours – they are very close in color and design.
I had not researched Haskins and had no idea of her positions or funding till after I had done this. In hindsight it was a bad move.
I’m a 45 year old gay man and will have been with my partner for 21 years come March. We registered as domestic partners last month. Needless to say I regret my action – but it wasn’t in my area and I wasn’t paying attention [to Renton politics].
My question to you now is, how can I help you? I need to make amends –
Thanks for reading
Brad Crane
——————
Talk about irony! Imagine, Cheryl Haskins filed a report with the police, and now probably knows that one of her own supporters was actually stealing one of my signs!
Obviously, Brad has nothing to be ashamed of, as he was just trying to do the right thing by reporting the incident. Brad has agreed to go public with the story, and I commend him for his bravery, especially since he has seen how the Haskins campaign has tried to intimidate me over the past couple of days.
I also have the email Brad originally sent to the Haskins campaign with the SUV’s license plate number and the description of the woman, but I’m choosing not to publicize it. It will be interesting to see how the media and the Haskins campaign respond to this bombshell.
More irony: on Cheryl Haskins’s campaign website, she makes a big deal about the police report that was filed, along with the “perpetrator’s” license plate. Hee hee. She also goes on to describe the complain to the PDC against me, which will apparently not be investigated further.
Cheryl Haskins’ October Surprise has now become a November Surprise.
Cheryl Haskins website
Cheryl Haskins now has a new note on the home page of her website complaining about campaign signs missing or destroyed and the cost of those signs. Welcome to politics in this and any city. It happens to every candidate or issue on the ballot, and it’s exhausting and frustrating but they cetainly don’t devote the home page of their campaign website to tell voters about the calculated cost of those signs, especially when she’s had such a huge treasury to work with. Just yesterday I saw two young boys walking around playing with two candidate signs they had pulled out of the ground in their neighborhood – sometimes its kids, sometimes its adults in the neighborhood or at a business that hates the way campaign signs litter their area, sometimes its an opponent who plays foul, sometimes its someone who supports an opponent but the opponent doesn’t even know them, and sometimes its the weather.
Then on the same website home page, she chooses to name Kevin Poole and her PDC complaint against this citizen who is not her opponent on the ballot and has every right to speak up. How rude is that!
Re: Cheryl Haskins Signs
And exactly what is she going to do with her expensive signs after the campaign is over? You only get to be a “fresh face” once. And she acts like it’s her money.
Having worked on many campaigns, the above poster is correct. There are many things that contribute to signs disappearing. I consider most of these candidates as friends and I can personally attest that Denis Law, King Parker, Marcie Palmer and Greg Taylor’s official campaign teams would NEVER allow or advocate stealing opponent’s signs.
AND WHAT’S THIS!?! It turns out that it’s Cheryl supporters stealing Kevin’s signs!?! Alert the Media! File a PDC Complaint! Call the Police!!
Re: Cheryl Haskins Signs
What is she going to do with all of her money when the campaign is over? See who/amount/where/when for yourself:
http://www.pdc.wa.gov/servlet/ContServlet
Re: Cheryl Haskins Signs
By the way, I think it’s important to point out that my signs are 100% recyclable and union-made. Cheryl’s are not. Boeing employees and environmentalists take note!
Cheryl signs
Did you notice on her website that Cheryl Haskins says 600 of her signs were stolen. She doesn’t say missing instead she quickly jumps to the conclusion that they are stolen. I’m sure all candidates are missing signs and I’m sure that most aren’t stolen.
Re: Cheryl signs
Having assembled and put up only about 150 signs of my own thus far, I can tell you that 600 signs would be overwhelming. You’d really have to be running a well-oiled machine to be able to remove that many signs without anyone noticing. As far as I can tell, Cheryl’s signs are still as plentiful as ever, and seem to be doubled-up in many locations. She doesn’t seem to be suffering from a lack of exposure, that’s for sure. My signs, which I paid for and stapled together myself, are disappearing without a trace.
Re: Cheryl signs
Having assembled and put up only about 150 signs of my own thus far, I can tell you that 600 signs would be overwhelming. You’d really have to be running a well-oiled machine to be able to remove that many signs without anyone noticing. As far as I can tell, Cheryl’s signs are still as plentiful as ever, and seem to be doubled-up in many locations. She doesn’t seem to be suffering from a lack of exposure, that’s for sure. My signs, which I paid for and stapled together myself, are disappearing without a trace.
Re: Cheryl signs
sorry, forgot to log in the first time