Candidates’ Checks in the Mailers

THOUSAND OAKS —  Two City Council contenders have locked up most of the available slots on this year’s popular slate mailers, a move their opponents fear sets the stage for a slick, big-money election that runs counter to campaign reforms adopted by the city two years ago.

Attorney Ed Masry and incumbent Councilwoman Linda Parks--who are running together on a slow-growth platform--early on purchased a spot on at least seven of the multi-candidate pieces. Space on each mailer can cost between $300 and $1,300.

“Ed and I were the first to announce we were running, and it’s first come, first served on the slate mailers,” Parks said. “We are running an incredibly good campaign in terms of organization.”

But political rivals, irked they were shut out of a chance to buy a spot on the mailers, complain that the aggressive and seemingly free-spending nature of Masry’s and Parks’ campaigns sets the wrong tone for the race.

“With Masry’s declaration that he’s going to spend whatever it takes, it’s going to change the whole dynamics of the campaign from here on out,” candidate Chris Buckett said.

Incumbent Councilman Mike Markey said he called 10 slate makers in August after he decided to run and was told that Masry and Parks had already reserved all of the spaces.

“I think they’re trying to shut out the other candidates from getting out their message,” Markey said.

Another candidate worried that the campaigns violate the spirit of spending reforms adopted by the city in 1998. Those reforms--strongly supported by Parks at the time--urged a voluntary $25,000 spending cap and required a $250-per-person contribution limit.

“I’m frustrated because it doesn’t feel like fair play,” said Jim Bruno, a candidate and planning commissioner who chaired the committee that wrote the city’s campaign finance laws. “Is it immoral? No. Is it ethical? I don’t think so. It’s another infusion of large money that the community said we don’t want.”

Parks and Masry, however, said they can’t be faulted for outsmarting their challengers and running more efficient and organized campaigns. Seven candidates are competing for two seats on the council in the Nov. 7 election.

“It’s not an issue of money. It’s an issue of timing and organization,” Parks said. “They’re Johnny-come-lately, they’re suffering and they’re whining.”

Masry agreed, saying that maybe the slate makers wanted the winners--”not a bunch of losers”--on their mailers.

“They’re crying foul, and I’m saying it’s not my fault,” he said.

The criticism of the candidates’ use of slate mailers is nothing more than political sour grapes, campaign supporters said. For instance, Markey bought slots on nine slate mailers in his 1996 race, records show.

“We’re seeing the rug getting pulled out from underneath several of our opponents who are pro-growth for the first time in years, and we’re seeing them start to take a defensive position,” said Louis Masry, Ed Masry’s son and a member of his campaign management team. “They are used to dominating, and those days are over in Thousand Oaks.”

There are about a dozen key slate mailers in the state that promote either Republican or Democratic partisan candidates, said Scott Hart, a principal of Newport Beach-based Ellis/Hart Associates. The literature pieces, put together by political consultants across the state, are considered an easy and relatively cheap way for city council candidates to get exposure to thousands of voters.

Most consultants said they book the mailers on a first-come, first-served basis.

Such was the case for the Los Angeles-based “Citizens for Representative Government” slate mailer, which promotes traditional Republican views, said political director Allan Hoffenblum.

“Two of the candidates got in line in front of them, and now they’re all unhappy,” he said. “Tell them they should be a little more organized next time.”

Still, Masry may have had one advantage over the other candidates. Hart said his firm sends out invitations for the slates to other political consultants in July, far before many candidates have even declared an intent to run. Masry is the only contender in the Thousand Oaks race who has hired a professional consultant. Most of the other candidates are relying on themselves or spouses to manage their campaigns.

“One issue is the money and where all of it is coming from, but the other is someone has the power to go to a professional, and where does that leave the playing field?” said Herb Gooch, chairman of the political science department at Cal Lutheran University. “The bad thing for Thousand Oaks is it raises the stakes. If anyone wants to compete, they’ll have to spend much more money or go to the pros.”

Gooch believes slate mailers are “scams” because the vast majority of voters don’t realize each candidate pays to be on the fliers, which appear to be Republican- or Democratic-sanctioned ballot guides.

Campaign finance reports in the race are due this Thursday, giving an indication of how much candidates intend to spend.

Masry, a Westlake Village-based attorney who won a $333-million settlement against Pacific Gas & Electric in a ground water contamination case dramatized in the movie “Erin Brockovich,” has said he will spend as much of his own money as it takes.

Meanwhile, Parks is also coming under fire from her opponents, who question where she got the money to purchase her the mailer spots.

“I’m concerned about where Mrs. Parks got the money for the slates, because she spent $12,000 on her entire campaign last time,” Markey said.

But Parks said dominating slate mailers is a campaign tactic for a candidate who doesn’t have unlimited spending capabilities. While buying up a dozen mailer slots may cost $15,000, it can cost three times that to reach the same number of voters with direct-mail pieces.