Smear campaign rooted in fear of Palin

Spectrum/Jeff Lowenfels

August 1, 2006

I keep waiting for the people of Wasilla to rise up in arms. This is what I think they should do, given Voice of the Times's editor Paul Jenkins slanderous slam on their former mayor and their fair city.

Just more of the old &#8220Valley Trash” talk from Republicans who can't stand the fact that a new face is about to win an election. Make no mistake, that, and not Sarah Palin's ethics, are what this tempest in a teapot is all about.

While I like folks to think of me as their gardener, and I don't like to admit being a lawyer, I used my legal training to take a look at the stuff Paul Jenkins dumped on all of the news folks and talk radio stations he could find after he wrote his scurrilous piece. What I saw were not examples of extreme ethical lapses by Sarah Palin or ethical lapses of any kind.

The dearth of documents alone, you would think there were thousands upon thousands of pages, makes it easy to review them. They will be posted, I am told, on Sarah Palin's Web site if you want to see them for yourself, but be forewarned: This really is a waste of valuable voter and campaign time.

Let's see, there were several copies of the same newsletter RECEIVED by some computers in Wasilla's city office. Hmm. Sarah didn't send them, and it is so obvious that the recipients were subscribers to a newsletter. Maybe they should get in trouble for using a city computer for such purposes, but not Sarah.

These were not on her computer. This is not running a campaign out of the mayor's office.

Hmmm, I saw an itinerary for Sarah from her secretary's computer. But I guess Paul Jenkins doesn't think it is important for an administrative assistant to know where her boss is when she might need to be contacted. And I guess he feels that one stops being a mayor when one gets on an airplane and flies to another city for something not having to do with Wasilla.

When did Sarah stop being mayor? When she got on the plane or when she landed in Ketchikan? And when did she become Mayor again? When the plane took off for the trip home?

In fact, Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This was not campaign work, and the city of Wasilla did not pay for the tickets. They did know where Sarah was at all times, however.

Next, what was Sarah to do when a salesperson came to City Hall looking for her? Run out into the parking lot? And then the salesperson sends a fax to City Hall? Is that Sarah's doing? Not likely, given that Mayor Palin was considered to be a &#8220Purity Prude” by trying so hard to make sure she didn't mix running for lieutenant governor with her job as mayor. Just ask the deputy mayor at the time who made fun of her.

As for the 75 &#8220thank-you” notes an employee printed in the mayor's office, this was clearly a mistake. A giant ethical lapse? Not quite, but Sarah has taken responsibility and apologized immediately. She didn't do the printing, but she has taken responsibility for it.

Simply put, those of us who know Sarah are stunned by the accusations hurled by Mr. Jenkins, who wrote his article and then left the state for two weeks. Pretty convenient, huh?

Just watch for his return when he starts claiming there were billions of phone calls made from the mayor's office. Spare us all, Paul. We need to be talking about real issues.

This, is a lady, don't forget, who gave up a $125,000 a year state job because the current governor wouldn't enforce the state Ethics Act (which doesn't apply to the mayor of Wasilla in any case). No, the ethics we need to watch are those of our current governor, who wouldn't fire Randy Ruedrich or dismiss his disgraced attorney general, for that matter. I won't go into his questionable use of the state-owned jet.

Sarah is not running against Randy Ruedrich, the controversial chair of the Republican Party, though there is no question that there is a political motivation behind this attack on her ethics. This attack was a low blow, party-politic maneuver, the very kind that has made so many of us fed up with the two parties we have and the familiar candidates they always run, and spawned a unique candidate like Sarah Palin - someone we can actually trust because she is not beholden to party politics.

Clearly, what we have here is a VECO Times/scared Republican Party leadership attempt to smear a candidate they don't like and, frankly though inexplicably, are afraid of. Trust me on this: If the documents I saw were weeds in my garden, I wouldn't even bend down to pick them. We have so many important issues to discuss. This one is taking up so much time it is criminal.

Knock it off, Paul. Stop it, frustrated Republicans. The voters of this state deserve better - and Paul Jenkins and Randy Ruedrich know it.

Anchorage resident Jeff Lowenfels is a gardener, attorney and &#8220APSTNR - Admitted Palin Supporter, Though Not Republican.” He is the author of the recently published &#8220Teaming With Microbes, A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web.”