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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CYBERKEN who wrote (169171)	8/8/2001 11:36:43 PM
From: puborectalis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

'Dirty tricks' are denounced by Green Party By Frank Vinluan Seattle Times staff reporter MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES Green Party candidate Young Han holds the check he says he will return to Stan Shore. Standing outside the Seattle offices of the King County Republicans yesterday, Green Party leaders decried what they called Republican "dirty tricks" to manipulate upcoming elections and tip the balance of power in the Legislature. Green Party members say one of their candidates was unwittingly recruited by Republicans into a highly contested race to lure votes away from Democrats. But Young Han of Mountlake Terrace, running as the Green Party candidate for Snohomish County's 21st Legislative District, vowed to return the donation of Stan Shore, a GOP campaign consultant who paid Han's filing fee. "I am now returning Mr. Shore's contribution," Han said, waving the $250 check. "My campaign is about elevating the political discourse and representing productive values, not being used as a political pawn." Han is challenging Mukilteo Republican Joe Marine, who is running in a special election in November to keep the seat he was appointed to last year. Shore has said he is not working for Marine. Yesterday, Marine issued a statement saying that Shore does not work for him and that the two have never met. With the state House of Representatives deadlocked in a 49-49 tie, the 21st District race could determine the balance of power. A Marine loss could tip power in the House to the Democrats. Shore, who is working for state Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, has said he helped Han because he supports diversity of candidates on the ballot. He also said he sympathizes with some of the Green Party's issues. Shore paid for legal notices in The Herald in Everett announcing the party's nominating convention and he rented a room for the event at a Lynnwood hotel. But Washington state Green Party Chairwoman Kara Ceriello said Shore had misled Han and other Green Party members in hopes that votes for a Green candidate would pull votes from a Democratic challenger to Marine. She also accused Shore's wife, Leslie Donovan, of attempting the same tactic in the Metropolitan King County Council race for South King County's 13th District, where Roach is running for the GOP nomination against Councilman Les Thomas, R-Kent. State Sen. Julia Patterson, D-SeaTac, is also running for the seat. The County Council now has seven Republicans and six Democrats. Donovan sent e-mails to the South King County Green Party saying she represented environmentalists and Muckleshoot Indians trying to find a Green candidate. The e-mail announced a nominating convention at a SeaTac restaurant on July 7. There, Michael Jepson, a 21-year-old computer-systems operator from Des Moines, was nominated. Ceriello insists Jepson is not a Green Party member and does not have the endorsement of the party. State Republican Chairman Chris Vance said the GOP leadership was not involved in recruiting Green Party candidates or in organizing Green Party nominating conventions. But he said it has long been common practice for parties to help candidates that could steal votes from opponents. "This happens every year in every election," he said. "But it's especially possible in our state where anyone can file for any office under any party. In this state, the parties have no ability to keep candidates that aren't members of their party off of the ballot." But Ceriello said the Green Party is gaining support because voters are opposed to such tactics. "We will not have the dice rolled for us; we will be rolling it, we will be moving our own game pieces, and we will be passing 'Go' and collecting $200 because we are a major political party nationwide and statewide," she said. Frank Vinluan can be reached at 206-464-2291 or fvinluan@seattletimes.com. Copyright © 2001 The Seattle Times Company