Mayor's race heats up

Oct. 1, 2006

By Michael Rovito

Frontiersman

PALMER - Charlie Fannon, a candidate for Mat-Su Borough mayor, is catching heat from fellow mayoral candidate Curt Menard and gubernatorial candidate Sarah Palin after he used a 2002 endorsement from Palin in a recent radio ad without the former Wasilla mayor's permission.

Menard first heard about the ad after Palin, who was on her way to Anchorage and is endorsing Menard for borough mayor, heard the ad on 650 Kenai and called to alert him.

&#8220I think it's a cheap shot in the last few minutes,” Menard said while on the campaign trail Saturday. &#8220For an ex-police chief, I would expect higher standards.”

During a series of interviews Saturday, Palin and her staff consistently denied claims made by Fannon regarding how the ad came about.

Palin, who hired Fannon as Wasilla's chief of police while she was mayor of the city, said she was shocked when she first heard the ads.

The Palin and Menard families have been close friends for 35 years, Palin said. She added that she would go to the ends of the earth for the former state

legislator.

&#8220I support Curt Menard 100 percent,” Palin said by phone as she boarded an airplane for Fairbanks Saturday. &#8220Charlie Fannon knew I made ads for Curt.”

Fannon, however, said Palin originally supported him, and is the reason he is running for mayor.

&#8220She talked me into running in this election,” Fannon said. &#8220She said she would support me.”

That statement is untrue, Palin said, adding that she did urge Fannon to run in 2002, but not in this year's election.

&#8220I'm so sad about this because I consider Charlie Fannon a friend,” Palin said. &#8220It is not true that I told Charlie Fannon I support him this go around. He needs to retract that, because it's not true.”

Fannon said he told the Palin camp he was going to use her voice from a 2002 endorsement in this year's ad campaign. He said Palin's campaign manager, Kris Perry, asked him to send everything he was going to use in the ad to her.

&#8220I said ‘are you kidding, you just told me you are going to support my opponent and you want me to send over my ad?'” Fannon said.

Perry denies Fannon called to make her aware of the ad and said she had no knowledge of it until Palin called her Saturday morning.

&#8220This ad was not authorized,” Perry said. &#8220I had no knowledge he was running this ad.”

In a phone interview Saturday, Fannon seemed to take the recent events personally.

&#8220I am shocked and I'm hurt,” he said, adding that he doesn't see the sound byte as an endorsement, but simply as Palin saying nice things about him.

Reaction from Palin staffers Saturday was that of frustration.

&#8220This last-minute tactic to win at no cost is the same politics as usual that Sarah has fought so hard against,” said Ivy Frye, a Palin staff member.

She added that someone who knowingly deceives voters does not deserve their support or vote.

Weighing in on the controversy, Jody Simpson, a candidate for mayor and former Mat-Su Borough Ethics Board member, said she hadn't heard the ads, but thinks Palin and Fannon should sort it out themselves.

&#8220I think anything is fair in politics,” Simpson said.

Palin's people have requested Fannon pull his ad, Perry said, and as of Saturday, Palin had left a message with Fannon asking him to stop their airing.

Fannon said the ads already are paid for. He added that Palin didn't tell him she was supporting Menard until after his ads were made.

The law enforcement veteran supported Palin's gubernatorial primary opponent, John Binkley, this past August.

Menard said he would not seek any action from the Alaska Public Offices Commission, since the advertisements came out so close to Tuesday's election, but referred to them as simply a dirty campaign tactic.

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@

frontiersman.com.