Roberts Vows Not to Issue Last-Minute ‘Hit Pieces’

San Diego City Councilman Ron Roberts on Tuesday promised to issue no mass media “hit pieces” against his three opponents during the final week of the city’s mayoral campaign and challenged the trio to adhere to the same pledge.

Roberts, releasing what he said were his five final direct-mail appeals to voters, said he would not attack his rivals through the mail, on television or over the radio during the waning days of the primary election being held June 2.

The tactic of last-minute attacks is controversial, but sometimes effective, because opponents have no ability to respond to ads that appear in the final days of a race.

The mailers, which describe Roberts’ “values” and detail his plans to fight crime and create jobs, do not refer to Roberts’ rivals, County Supervisor Susan Golding, managed-growth advocate Peter Navarro and financier Tom Carter. They will be sent to more than 200,000 homes this week.

“We’ve been spending too much time saying why people shouldn’t be elected,” Roberts said. “It’s time we talk about why people should be elected.”

But the three other main contenders in the race to succeed retiring Mayor Maureen O’Connor immediately smelled a rat.

Navarro, founder of Prevent Los Angelization Now! and a candidate for the mayor’s post, said Roberts is following a “good cop-bad cop strategy” in which he would “take the high road” while independent groups would slam Navarro.

Similarly, George Gorton, Golding’s campaign consultant, said that “it’s a little late for Councilman Roberts to talk about a positive campaign when he’s been attacking both Golding and Navarro from the very beginning.”

Gorton also alleged collusion between the Roberts campaign and independent groups, which is illegal under city campaign laws.

Luke Breit, a consultant for Carter, said that “I don’t discuss strategy and what’s going to be in my mail.” He added, “I cannot promise that my mail will not mention any other candidate.”

Two other minor candidates, magician Loch David Crane and accountant Bill Thomas, are also on the ballot. The top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s primary will face off in a Nov. 3 general election unless any one of them receives more than 50% of the vote. That prospect is considered unlikely.

Roberts, who trailed Navarro and Golding in a Times Poll taken last week, has traded charges with the pair throughout the four-month campaign. But the poll showed that Roberts has the worst positive-to-negative rating of the three.