Foley’s GOP support denied

Lolita Harper

A campaign mailing that asserts local Republicans’ support for

City Council candidate Katrina Foley has some fuming and challenging

her campaign strategies.

Foley, who is chairwoman of the city’s Planning Commission, sent a

mailer with the names of 74 registered Republicans in Costa Mesa who

purportedly support her for City Council.

“We are all Republican residents, business owners and community

leaders who support Katrina Foley for Costa Mesa City Council,” the

heading on the filer reads. “We ask that you vote for her on Nov. 5.”

However, not those on the list claim such strong support. And

those who don’t are angered that their names have been used unfairly.

Foley said she issued the flier in response to a recent phone poll

that made it a point to tell traditionally conservative voters she

was a registered Democrat and an attorney. The flier was an attempt

to show she had bi-partisan support in a race that was not supposed

to focus on party affiliation in the first place.

“I had to respond because you have to get the Republican support

to win the election,” she said.

Foley said she believed she had full backing of every person

listed on the flier.

Among those who are most irritated by the inclusion is elected

official Jim Atkinson, who serves as vice president of the Mesa

Consolidated Water District Board of Directors. Atkinson said he was

“disappointed and distressed” to be included in the literature when

he makes it a point to not endorse candidates for any race.

Atkinson said he explained to Foley his practice of not endorsing

City Council candidates and specifically requested his name not be

used in any promotional literature when he agreed to sign her

nomination papers.

His position on the water board mandates he maintain comfortable

working relationships with members of the City Council, the

Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board and the Sanitary District,

he said. The possibility of creating an antagonistic situation with

any of the sitting or future council members would be detrimental to

the interests of the residents, he said.

Furthermore, it makes him look bad if he refuses to back other

candidates and then seemingly endorses another.

“It really irritated me because it’s like I’m going back on my

word,” Atkinson said. “It does damage to my own credibility and makes

me look two-faced.”

Foley apologized for the misunderstanding and said it was totally

unintentional. She said she had a “completely different recollection”

of her and Atkinson’s conversation.

“Everybody on that list has either given me verbal permission or

made contributions in an amount that would disclose that they are a

supporter,” Foley said. “I absolutely would not want to include

people who weren’t my supporters.”

Resident and business owner Chuck Cassity also recalls another

version of a similar conversation. Cassity said he spoke with Foley

in the past and she asked for his support but he told her it would be

going to another candidate.

“She took from this conversation that she could use my name,”

Cassity said. “I don’t remember that, but I am not going to call her

a liar. She probably just should have been more careful.”

Atkinson said there is a designated “endorsement card” that

candidates generally use to gather official support. The little

yellow cards detail the terms of the endorsement and require a

verification signature so that “he said, she said” situations can be

avoided.

Foley relied on nontraditional methods of gathering perceived

endorsements that resulted in confusion, he said.

Doug Miller, whose is fine with his name appearing on the list,

said he is proud to support a Democrat because he believes in Foley’s

ideas for improving neighborhoods, schools and supporting businesses.

“I have absolutely no problem at all,” Miller said. “I’ve been

trying to convince her that she’s not really a Democrat, but she

doesn’t believe me.”

Atkinson, who has been a board member since 1998, is an active

member of the community who has worked at the Aerospace Corp. in El

Segundo for the last 26 years. He also represents the district on

several committees and serves as the Orange County Water District

liaison.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.