Mayor officially ends feud

Judy Odierna

Thursday, March 27, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.

Mayor Oscar Goodman officially endorsed Councilman Michael McDonald in an election flier being sent out to residents of the city's Ward 1.

The flier, which has a picture of the two together, targets anti-McDonald mailers being distributed to Ward 1 voters that contain negative comments Goodman made several years ago about McDonald.

Goodman's open letter to the Ward 1 voters reads: "You may have recently received information that gives the wrong impression about my opinion of Councilman Michael McDonald. Don't be fooled by these misleading fliers and ads. My support for Mike has never been stronger."

Goodman wrote that while he and McDonald don't always agree, he admires McDonald's commitment to his constituents.

"I am happy to have him as my representative," Goodman wrote. "I will be voting for Michael J. McDonald in the upcoming primary election. I urge you to do the same."

The "misleading" flier Goodman refers to is a postcard containing comments Goodman made to the media about McDonald during a political feud in 1999 and 2000.

Tension between Goodman and McDonald began with a dispute over appointments to the City Council at that time. The battle escalated in 2000, when McDonald secretly recorded a private meeting with Goodman in which Goodman asked McDonald to resign his position as mayor pro tem. McDonald lost the largely ceremonial title soon after.

Upon discovering the taping incident, Goodman called McDonald "a piece of garbage" and a "sleazeball" and said "there's no place for him in public government."

McDonald said the two reconciled last summer after both went through personal traumas. Both of McDonald's parents were battling cancer and Goodman had been in a car accident.

The comments Goodman made regarding the taping were included on the postcard sent to Ward 1 residents. Also on the postcard is an image of Goodman's signature on a recall petition against McDonald.

The postcard states it was mailed by the Committee to Oust Michael McDonald, but Ward 1 candidate and civic activist Peter "Chris" Christoff says he's the sole person behind it.

"I'm here to make people aware of (McDonald's) behavior," Christoff said. "He has a past record of destroying people and harassing people. I put out the information so people can understand what he's doing."

Christoff isn't the only candidate to use Goodman's signature on the recall petition against McDonald. Janet Moncrief, a nurse who moved into Ward 1 to run for the seat, sent out a mailer to people who signed the petition saying she applauded them and Goodman for signing the petition.

The recall petition in 2000 came up 348 signatures short of the required 2,995.

"I guess Oscar Goodman made up with McDonald," Moncrief said when told about Goodman's letter of support. "What I was really trying to do is remind the public of all the things (McDonald) has done."

McDonald said his opponents are targeting his past because they have no vision for the future.

"They can't beat me on my work ethic," he said. "I have no time for it. I'm running a positive campaign. The constituents know what I've done for them and what I'm going to do for them."

Christoff could face a court proceeding and up to $5,000 in fines, as well as court costs and attorney's fees, for violating state statues as they apply to election laws. The state requires that any published material concerning a campaign must identify the person paying for the publication.

The matter would be investigated after the Secretary of State's receipt of a formal complaint.

Christoff is not concerned about the possible penalties.

"I don't care what (Secretary of State) Dean Heller says or what complaints are filed," he said. "If it's necessary for me to remind people of (McDonald's) past behavior then let it be. I don't care if 400 people file against me.

Christoff also said he doesn't care about Goodman's public endorsement of McDonald.

"I don't care if the mayor wants to kiss him and hug him three years later," Christoff said. "If he wants to support that type of person that's his right."

But Ward 1 resident Bette Craik said she does care about what she called a smear campaign against McDonald.

Craik said in addition to the fliers, she and four other residents have been receiving phone calls from a group called Citizens for Better Government. Craik said she believes the group is linked to Moncrief -- a charge Moncrief disputes. The callers made disparaging comments about McDonald, she said.

"We know how politics can be but this is taking dirty politics to a new low," Craik said.

Moncrief said she is not involved with the calls and has no knowledge of them.

"I don't have a clue about it," she said.

Craik is considering filing a complaint about the flier.

"We have a councilman that realizes the problems we have as an older community who sits down and listens to us," she said. "To have someone knock him down this way, naturally we are going to be defensive."