If this season’s crop of City Council races weren’t already complicated by the petition dust-up, a lawsuit filed Tuesday against incumbent council member and re-election hopeful Daryl Slusher has sharpened the contentiousness that frames the Place 1 contest. Kirk Mitchell, a onetime Slusher supporter now running to unseat him, brought the lawsuit with demands that the incumbent return nearly 2,000 petition signatures on grounds that they violate the city’s campaign finance law. And in further irony, the person cited for contributing to this alleged infraction is Slusher’s old political nemesis-turned-supporter, Bruce Todd. The former mayor introduced the first in a series of unexpected twists to the race when he formed a PAC to help drum up enough signatures to allow Slusher to bypass term-limit provisions and run for re-election.
The money that went into Todd’s organized effort, resulting in the collection of 1,850 signatures — at roughly $1 per signature — far exceeds the city’s $100 contribution cap, said Mitchell, who filed his Place 1 candidacy at the 11th hour last week. The Mitchell camp maintains that campaign finance laws were violated once Todd transferred the collection of signatures — i.e. something of “value” — to Slusher. As such, Mitchell says, Slusher’s name should be removed from the ballot. City Clerk Betty Brown is also named in the lawsuit.
“This is a desperate attempt to get publicity and shift the ballot box to the courthouse,” said Slusher, whose signatures cleared the verification process Wednesday morning. He added that Todd personally collected 100 signatures as a volunteer effort. “Bruce definitely helped us.”
Todd likewise contends Mitchell’s allegations are unfounded, and says he sought the advice of legal counsel before launching the petition drive on behalf of Slusher and Council Member Jackie Goodman. “We were cognizant of the potential for problems,” he said. Todd came to Slusher’s aid because the two have long since settled their differences, the former mayor explained. “I think Daryl has been a very responsible council member, although I haven’t always agreed with the way he’s voted.” That a segment of the environmental community is angry with Slusher simply proves that the council member is doing his job, Todd added. “When you get into office, you start to see things differently.”
Some former supporters, such as Mitchell, believe Slusher has lost sight of his passion for protecting the environment. Slusher did not return a phone call from the Chronicle.
This article appears in March 29 • 2002.
