POLITICS: Ninth district political message upsets NT residents

By Neale Gulley<br><a href="mailto:gulleyn@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Neale</a>

In an election year, unsanctioned political mailings and those pre-recorded telephone messages are common, though occasionally one goes off the charts.

Even Niagara County Legislature Candidate Russ Rizzo said he was shocked at a mass telephone message that went around this weekend alleging his opponent, Democrat Christopher Perna, had been arrested on drug and assault charges.

“I don’t see where it could do any good for anybody,” Rizzo said. “I’m very upset about it to be honest. It was uncalled for.”

The message, said North Tonawanda Police Chief Randy Szukala, could have been sent by anyone with auto-dialer software and the required equipment. He confirmed Perna was never arrested in North Tonawanda, where by law he must live in order to run for the 9th district seat.

Several residents called the Tonawanda News Monday, in part because the female voice on the furtive recording claims the Tonawanda News had reported the arrests. An electronic search of the News’ archives reveals no such reports going back to 2005. The message, however, does not even include a time frame surrounding its potentially slanderous remarks.

Szukala said his own mother-in-law had called him to probe the claims which are included in the breif pre-recorded message, which comes up on caller id systems as being placed from a restricted or “private” number.

North Tonawanda Republican Committee Chairman Bill Paton hadn’t heard anything about it when contacted Monday evening.

“If I had that article I would have given it to you,” Paton told a News reporter regarding the allegations.

But those like Jean Kroetsch and neighbor Joyce Lee of Witmer Road, were concerned with the claims and the fact that the caller doesn’t give residents a chance to check the facts for themselves.

Neither Perna nor Democratic Committee Chairperson Mark Houghton could be reached Monday for comment.

Automatic dialers are commonly used by campaign workers around election time to reach a vast number of households instantly. Typically, the messages contain facts about a candidate if not a spin on the truth.

This one was uncommonly bold.

“I have absolutely no knowlege of where this could have come from,” Rizzo said. “I was shocked when I heard it.”

City of Tonawanda Deputy Attorney David Jay, a civil rights lawyer, said if the claims against Perna can’t be sustantiated the legal consequences for whoever is behind the message could be serious.

“It sounds like a very good defamation case. Putting any kind of criminal handle on somebody ... especially drug charges,” Jay said. “I wouldn’t even think about trying to quantify it,” he said when asked what kind of damages could be awarded in such a case. “It is a crimainal offense to claim that someone (innocent) is gullty of a crime. And it’s morally abhorrent as well,” he said.

Contact reporter Neale Gulley at 693-1000, ext. 114.