Over in Yakima, Wash., an anonymous blogger's actions (and, later, the revelation of that blogger's real identity) shook up the city council race with enough vigor that a lawsuit has been threatened and one man was forcibly removed from a council meeting.
Throughout the campaign between incumbent Ron Bolender and challenger Rick Ensey, the anonymous blogger (using the pseudonym Publius) repeatedly criticized Bolender and Democrats ... and referred to 'rumors' that Bolender had been arrested several times for investigation of drunken driving, and the arrest reports had been covered up by the police, city manager and local newspaper. The blogger offered no evidence, and a review of state records by the Yakima Herald-Republic found nothing to back up the claims.
Ensey, the challenger, won the Nov. 6 election over Bolender with 52% of the vote. Two days later Ensey admitted that the anonymous blogger was ... wait for it ... his wife. From the Yakima Herald-Republic:
He told KIMA on Thursday that his wife started the blog without telling him, and that she thought it'd be a fun way to put voice to the issues they cared about.
Diane Ensey, who served as Ensey's campaign treasurer, is a Web developer and professional blogger.
In a Herald-Republic story on Oct. 30 that raised questions about the ethics of an anonymous blog and controversial postings at Inside Yakima, Rick Ensey variously described the blogger as a friend or acquaintance but wouldn't name names.
When asked to deny that the blogger was his wife, he refused to answer the question.
"If I start listing off a bunch of people, then I'm down a road I don't want to go," he said, adding, "I'm sworn to secrecy."
But the newspaper story -- and reaction around town -- apparently raised concern.
"I said 'Hey, we gotta pull this thing off. People are upset with it, we shouldn't have posted it. Pull it off,'" Ensey said later in an interview with television station KIMA, after admitting his wife was the blogger.
The site was taken down the day after the election and the domain is now up for sale (and is apparently being used currently to sell Yakima automobile roof racks).
As you might imagine, Ensey's conveniently timed post-election flash of honesty and remorse didn't sit well with Bolender and the other council members, who had also been targets of Ensey's blogging wife. So when anti-tax gadfly Tim Eyman showed up at a recent council meeting to make light of the scandal and attack Bolender, he was quickly shown the door. No word yet if it hit him in the ass on his way out.
No comments:
Post a Comment