As we get close to the June primary, we thought we would check in on Audra Strickland’s campaign for Ventura County Supervisor. FR readers may recall that Strickland is challenging an incumbent Supervisor who, while a "registered" Republican actually endorsed and supported liberal Democrat Hannah Beth Jackson for State Senate against Audra’s husband, now State Senator Tony Strickland.
As a State Party officer, I am well aware that the Ventura County Republican Party and the California Republican Party have both endorsed Strickland, and are engaged in a substantive member communications effort to GOP voters on her behalf. But here’s a more "on the ground" perspective from FR friend Eric Ingemunson…
AUDRA STRICKLAND – CLOSING STRONG IN THE CLUTCH
Eric Ingemunson
Audra Strickland has a date Friday night, but it looks like she might get stood up.
The State Assemblywoman, who is running for Ventura County Supervisor in the Thousand Oaks area, agreed to a debate challenge by incumbent Linda Parks two weeks ago, but Parks has balked at her choice of moderator and has now signaled she will not attend.
Earlier this month, Parks issued an I’ll-debate-you-anytime-anywhere challenge after Strickland backed out of a League of Woman Voters candidates forum. Parks set only three conditions for her challenge—that the debate is free, in the district, and televised.
Strickland met all three parameters and set Friday, May 28th as the night of the debate.
However, Parks objected to it, saying that the moderator chosen for the event is a declared Strickland supporter. Strickland countered that Parks told voters there will be a debate and she will be “breaking her promise” if she doesn’t show, and that this demonstrates her opponent was never serious about talking about the issues in the first place.
The Assemblywoman and the Supervisor came close to debating in April at a forum sponsored by the Ventura County Young Republicans. While Strickland agreed to the debate, Parks didn’t agree to attend because the VCYR wouldn’t meet her condition that the event be free.
Parks, who has represented the district since 2002, is a moderate Republican whose environmentalism and willingness to cross party lines led the Democratic Party to lend her moral support during her reelection bid.
Earlier this year the county Republican Party—spurred by Parks’ decision in 2008 to endorse the Democratic opponent of conservative-favorite Tony Strickland—drafted the female half of the Strickland team to run for supervisor, which required the couple move from Moorpark to neighboring Thousand Oaks. Audra Strickland’s entry into the race left Parks without a party, as the Republican establishment has since rallied around Audra Strickland, who contrasted her emphasis on economic development to Parks’ environmentalism.
Since then, both campaigns traded allegations of campaign finance malfeasance and carpetbagging. And assuming Parks doesn’t appear at the debate Friday night, both women will also be able to say her opponent backed out of the debate.
They have one other thing in common. Both of them face the first loss of their careers on June 8th.
Should Strickland be elected she would join Peter Foy, the lone rock-ribbed conservative on the Board of Supervisors who often finds himself on the short end of four-to-one decisions.
Although this is a nonpartisan race, ideological and party identification might play a more important role than meets the eye. Strongly contested Republican gubernatorial and senatorial primaries should drive more Republicans to the polls that are more likely to identify with Strickland. Conversely, liberal Republicans and Democrats don’t have exciting races at the top of the ticket to compel them to turn out in huge numbers—numbers that Parks needs.
Eric writes regularly for Red County’s Ventura County blog.
May 27th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Eric, you got your hands slapped for being disengenous with the upcoming farce on the Ventura County Star and you continue it here.
Lemmo, who works for a developer and is a well known Audra Supporter is supposed to “moderate”. Did you mention this tidbit in this thread? KEYT TV, KCLU, people at the local paper, etc. have offered to step in and Audra refuses. Was this mentioned?
You have become a shill for the STricklands and have lost all credibility on the local paper and your blog will fail like all the others.
May 27th, 2010 at 12:00 am
From the Ventura County Star
Parks suggested five substitutes for Lemmo: the League of Women Voters; Timm Herdt, Sacramento bureau chief of The Star; Lance Orozco, broadcaster for KCLU; Tracy Lehr, broadcaster for KEYT in Santa Barbara; and the American Association of University Women.
Lemmo held a campaign event at his home for Strickland two weeks ago. She attended the event instead of facing off with Parks at a May 13 forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
Strickland says terms met
Strickland’s decision prompted Parks to issue a challenge for a debate before the June 8 election. Parks’ only conditions were that the debate be within the boundaries of the district, free to the public and taped for broadcast.
Last week, Strickland said she had met all those terms and did not have to negotiate. In her view, Parks was reneging on her offer.
“Linda Parks broke her promise and can’t be trusted,” Strickland campaign spokesman Chris Collier said Tuesday.
May 30th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Even Audra Strickland’s supporter’s should harbor outrage over the huge expenditure of funds for this race. The county GOP Central Committee has spent nearly $250,000 on Audra’s behalf and last week took out a loan for an additional $100,000. The GOP Central Committee is dominated by close allies of Strickland and her husband, Sen. Tony Strickland. They include Osborn and his wife, Mary; Tony Strickland’s mother, Toni; Chris Valenzano, a former staff member for Tony Strickland, and his wife, Deyla; and Darin Henry, whose campaign mailing firm received more than $1.5 million in combined business in 2008 from the Stricklands.
What is the basis of the GOP’s reasoning to spend so much money to unseat a popular REPUBLICAN in an NON-PARTISAN RACE?
1. Allegation: Linda Parks switched from being Democrat to become a Republican
Rebuttal: President Ronald Reagan did the very same thing, was he vilified this way?
2. Linda Parks supported Hannah Beth Jackson when she ran against Tony Strickland. Parks, known for her advocacy for open space and land conservation, said she based her endorsement on what she considered to be Jackson’s superior environmental positions.
What Audra’s campaign fails to mention is at the time it was disclosed that Tony Strickland paid a consulting firm partly owned by his wife, Assembly member Audra Strickland, $67,000 in 2001-02. In 2005, she paid his consulting firm $15,000. A big, stinky ethics melee ensured and citizen complaints were filed. Even Tony Strickland now says “such dealings can exacerbate public disgust.”
What makes even more of a mockery of these so called reasons behind the all out attack on Linda Parks, is the position that Tony Strickland has embraced as the County Campaign coordinator for Meg Whitman for Governor.
The complaints against Ms. Whitman by her opposition are listed as follows:
Because Meg Whitman didn’t vote in a bunch of elections, Meg Whitman only recently became a Republican, and Meg Whitman not only endorsed, but she has also given large amounts of money to Democrats.
I guess the Strickland team thinks it is only okay for the same set of circumstances if the offending party is Meg Whitman running for a PARTISAN OFFICE. This was printed when it was announced that Meg Whitman had asked Tony Strickland to run for State Controller: State Controller, you say? I know I want someone in that job who has a track record of being owned by big tobacco, Indian gaming, and health insurance companies. Someone who literally has taken his party’s lead on halting bi-partisanship in Sacramento and who is ready to give up his state Senate seat after just completing his first year. A career politician who has virtually no record of accomplishment.
Instead of embracing Linda Parks and her popularity among her constituents, this committee has alienated their Republican base with this display of nepotism. Residents of District 2 – Vote for Parks on June 8th!
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May 31st, 2010 at 12:00 am
Even Audra Strickland’s supporter’s should harbor outrage over the huge expenditure of funds for this race. The county GOP Central Committee has spent nearly $250,000 on Audra’s behalf and last week took out a loan for an additional $100,000. The GOP Central Committee is dominated by close allies of Strickland and her husband, Sen. Tony Strickland. They include Osborn and his wife, Mary; Tony Strickland’s mother, Toni; Chris Valenzano, a former staff member for Tony Strickland, and his wife, Deyla; and Darin Henry, whose campaign mailing firm received more than $1.5 million in combined business in 2008 from the Stricklands.
What is the basis of the GOP’s reasoning to spend so much money to unseat a popular REPUBLICAN in an NON-PARTISAN RACE?
1. Allegation: Linda Parks switched from being Democrat to become a Republican
Rebuttal: President Ronald Reagan did the very same thing, was he vilified this way?
2. Linda Parks supported Hannah Beth Jackson when she ran against Tony Strickland. Parks, known for her advocacy for open space and land conservation, said she based her endorsement on what she considered to be Jackson’s superior environmental positions.
What Audra’s campaign fails to mention is at the time it was disclosed that Tony Strickland paid a consulting firm partly owned by his wife, Assembly member Audra Strickland, $67,000 in 2001-02. In 2005, she paid his consulting firm $15,000. A big, stinky ethics melee ensured and citizen complaints were filed. Even Tony Strickland now says “such dealings can exacerbate public disgust.”
What makes even more of a mockery of these so called reasons behind the all out attack on Linda Parks, is the position that Tony Strickland has embraced as the County Campaign coordinator for Meg Whitman for Governor.
The complaints against Ms. Whitman by her opposition are listed as follows:
Because Meg Whitman didn’t vote in a bunch of elections, Meg Whitman only recently became a Republican, and Meg Whitman not only endorsed, but she has also given large amounts of money to Democrats.
I guess the Strickland team thinks it is only okay for the same set of circumstances if the offending party is Meg Whitman running for a PARTISAN OFFICE. This was printed when it was announced that Meg Whitman had asked Tony Strickland to run for State Controller: State Controller, you say? I know I want someone in that job who has a track record of being owned by big tobacco, Indian gaming, and health insurance companies. Someone who literally has taken his party’s lead on halting bi-partisanship in Sacramento and who is ready to give up his state Senate seat after just completing his first year. A career politician who has virtually no record of accomplishment.
Instead of embracing Linda Parks and her popularity among her constituents, this committee has alienated their Republican base with this display of nepotism. Residents of District 2 – Vote for Parks on June 8th!