Front Page  »  

SLO County dirty politics déjà vu

January 17, 2012

Ed Waage

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County has had its share of dirty politics including slate mailers used in a 2010 sheriff campaign and the impersonating of opponents by a 1998 assemblyman’s campaign committee, both of which led to Fair Political Practice Commission investigations.

Aside from focusing on the issues, this years District 3 supervisor race already includes allegations of an imposter phone call to a resident and letters to the editor of the local daily taking aim at a candidate from authors who may not be who they say they are.

A few weeks ago, a District 3 resident sent a letter to the editor of the San Luis Obispo Tribune. The day it ran, the resident received a voice message from a caller illicitly claiming to be District 3 supervisor candidate Ed Waage.

Listen: Download Mp3

“Hi, (name redacted by request) I read your letter in the Tribune, are you a communist, or a socialist, or both or maybe a Marxist, this is Ed Waage. Just wanted to let you know what I thought,” the message says.

The opinion writer is a friend of Waage and knew it was not his voice on the recording.

SLO County politics have a history of dirty tricks that include stolen yard sign campaigns and untraceable authors of letters to the editor of the local paper spreading one-sided rumors. During the past few months, the true identities of the authors of several letters to the editor posted in the Tribune and one in the New Times that bash Waage appear unascertainable.

For example, a letter was posted in the New Times on Nov. 22 which said it was from Jan Woern of Arroyo Grande. The letter slammed Waage saying that the public needed to be protected from Waage and his views.

Another letter allegedly from the same person appeared in the Tribune on Dec. 12. This time the writer of the letter claimed to be a resident of Pismo Beach while demeaning Waage saying that he “will launch another campaign of deception.” However, searches of several data bases and phone logs by CalCoastNews and a local private detective show no one by that name appears to be living in the area.

That same day, another letter was posted in the Tribune bashing Waage, this time from Troy Johnson, also allegedly a Pismo Beach resident.

Efforts by CalCoastNews’ staff and a private investigator attempting to locate anyone in Pismo Beach named “Troy Johnson,” also bore no fruit.

District 3 includes a large portion of San Luis Obispo, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, and Grover Beach. Adam Hill, a former Cal Poly English instructor, defeated incumbent Jerry Lenthall in 2008 to claim the seat.


Loading...
Subjects:             
Related:


68 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Idiots all. Another stupid made-up story by Karen Viele. Must be a slow news day at CCN, and you all must have a lot of time on your hands.


0

I think the idiot is the person who doesn’t care about the character of the people who represent him/her.

Go ahead and keep your head buried in the sand.


0

I’ll bet you will never see slobody and Adam Hill in the same room. In fact, I would hazard a guess slobody finds it very difficult to post here or elsewhere on Tuesdays from about 8:00 until 4:00.


0

Now what do you want to say…? Story is true and Hill is an idiot!


0

Who is the id 10 t now slobody……or is this really Adam himself? Check todays new story……you have to be Adam or a close neighbor…….maybe his second wife with the toe ring!


0

This story was carried on KPRL this morning and the phone tape was played.


0

Good for KPRL. Will Congalton etal air it too? Anyone know?


0

How about Bill Benica?


0

Karen will appear on KVEC Thursday at 4:05 p.m.


0

Unbelievable! If that’s not Adam Hill’s voice…….I have heard his voice and sarcastic smears many a time and I truly believe that is him on that recorder. I would not put it past him and I do believe he is that stupid! I think the swirling has ended and his campaign is already down the toilet! He has to be the most dispicable person ever to sit on the board in this county. He cares only for himself and to hell with anybody that disagrees with him…..at all costs. Don’t waste the peoples time and money Adam. Sit this one out, and the next few elections as well!


0

That’s not Adam Hill – That’s Grigger Jones!! I’d know that voice ANYwhere!!!


0

OMG!! You people are so EASILY duped! Go look at the Gearhart articles. The NANCI (notice I) who posts there is not the same. This is a troll. The Nanci (I not Y) who ALWAYS talks about Grigger is nancimeek. Also the tip off is that nanci’s name is linked. This one not.


0

We noticed that too BTDT, I suspended posting rights for this account.


0

Glad to hear. Hate to see someone ruin a good thing that you guys have going here, by impersonating someone else.


0

Posting rights?


I think of my posting here as a *duty*. ;)


Thanks Mod and BTDT for catching the sleight of hand.


0

Monkey see, monkey do. Thanks Moderator.


0

In case I was misunderstood, it’s the phoney phone caller and the Nanci Meek impersonator to whom I refer to as “monkey see, monkey do.”


0

THIS WAS NOT ME I just happen to visit this blog and noticed the posting I think Karen knows the name I use and my password. THIS IS NOT the Nanci Meek who was ripped off by Grigger Jones Just for the record. Any time ANYONE has a question as to what they think I did or did not post please call me Thanks (760) 413-5660


0

That was not MY post I can’t believe someone would resort to TROLLING and impersonated me unbelievable


0

What about Standup? That person is really off the hook.


0

Standup is awesome. All you are awesome. I am merely pointing out that this site lives by anonymouse postings. I certainly do not condone impersonating anyone like the phone message did. I am speaking about the standards for a letter to the editor electronically should not be any different than a letter published in analog form.


0

It sounds like Adam Hill. That wouldn’t surprise me, given his history of dirty and disrespectful politics (calling his opponents racists, silencing public comment, leaking his own inflammatory emails to the Tribune, etc.). I hope we get to the bottom of this so that we can properly add this to the long list of reasons Adam Hill is unfit to serve on the Board of Supervisors.


0

If you think using names like Paso-guy in any way equates to the same as using a real person’s name dishonestly, your credibility is suspect. Most of us aren’t willing to accept this kind of dirty politics.


0

Huge difference between people putting ideas out into the blogosphere without showing proper ID and leaving a message on someone’s answering machine pretending to be a candidate for office.


0

Misbehavior of the crank caller aside, I have 2 Questions:


1- How did the caller obtain the personal phone number of the ‘name redacted’ author of an OpEd in the Trib? Was it leaked by ‘Trib staff, or is it public knowledge? If it *IS* public knowledge, why did the author request that his/her name be redacted from the recording?


2- Why is the ‘Trib publishing OpEd pieces without vetting them?


When I worked at a medium-sized rag in OC, it was routine to at least call the phone number and verify that the person who’s on the OpEd submission form actually wrote it before the money was spent to print it. They could request ‘name withheld’ but not submit anonymously.


0

I think the name was redacted from publication for this saga. I think the editorial ran with the author’s name attached.


Aside: The article above would improve with a paragraph like: “Cal Coast News contacted supervisor Hill about the message, and he responded, ” _____ ________ .”


0

The letter writer who received the call listed their name in the letter, the name was left out of this story as to not undermine the person’s reason for writing the letter and by request.


I have asked Sandra Duerr at the Tribune what the papers letter policy is and how these slipped by, she said she would call me back and has not yet done so.


I asked Adam Hill for a comment on the tape and letters and also if he was noticing any acts of dirty politics aimed at him. He responded in an email and did not answer any of the questions. Instead, he attacked CCN for looking into the issue. As I did not mention Hill in the story other than to say he was a candidate, I left his email out of the story.


0

Unfortunately, other members on the Board of Supervisors ran saying one thing and once elected, refuse to answer questions about their behavior and forget their constituents.


0

If I understand your first question, it was a letter to the editor signed by the writer. I assume that witer, who eventually received the phone call, turned in the taped call to Calcoastnews, requesting his name be removed. Remember the person that made the phone call claiming to be Waage is scum I hope every effort is made to identify and publish the name of the phoney caller.


0

” 2- Why is the ‘Trib publishing OpEd pieces without vetting them? ” …. you got that right !


0

I recall my first letter to the editor sparked a handwritten, threatening letter the very next day. The return address was in Missouri! I wonder if folks from the left and right receive these intimidations equally. I think I already know.


0

Not sure what you mean but many years ago I was in a position to rile a number of folks (their choice). I received many death threats from the right side of the spectrum. How many abortion opponents have been murdered? How many right wing presidents and candidates have been murdered (despite one attempt on Reagan)? How many right wing activists have been threatened or murdered, here and around the world? On all counts the answer is zero. The killers have all been either nuts or right wing ideologues.


0

One of the first letters I wrote to a newspaper prompted a reader to call me on the phone. It was a very positive response. The website generated a lot of email in response to my published work.


I consider all responses to be good. I don’t need to have everyone agree with me.


0
1 2 3