Fears for smears
City Council candidate claims incumbent threatened to run a nasty campaign
By Jonathan Randles
Signal Staff Writer
jrandles@the-signal.com
661-259-1234 x519
Posted: Feb. 10, 2010 10:30 p.m.
UPDATED Feb. 11, 2010 4:55 a.m.
After most people had left following an especially heated City Council meeting last month, Councilman Frank Ferry and challenging candidate David Gauny exchanged words by the chamber exit.
What exactly was said between Ferry and Gauny, and whether the conversation was threatening or jovial, depends on whom you ask.
But one thing seems certain: They were fightin' words.
Gauny brought his complaint before the City Council at Tuesday night's meeting, saying Ferry threatened him with a dirty campaign.
In an interview Wednesday, Ferry said he was responding to Gauny's attacks on his views on illegal immigration.
"We've been doing a year of opposition research and now you're going to learn the hard way," Gauny said Ferry told him at the meeting in January.
Ferry said in an interview that Gauny's recollection of their conversation "has no merit."
"Hey, David, your campaign threw out the first shot," Ferry said he told Gauny. "I was laughing, it was very cordial. I got the impression from David that he was joking around."
The first shot, as Ferry put it, was Gauny's recent speech chastising City Council members, including Ferry, for not taking a stance on illegal immigration. Gauny spared only City Councilman Bob Kellar, whose remarks at a rally against amnesty for illegal immigrants have caused an ongoing ruckus.
A few people witnessed that brief conversation by the exit after the meeting.
Among them was prominent local Republican Bob Haueter, who said nothing was said in a threatening manner on either side. "(Gauny) put Frank on the spot on the illegal immigration question and (Frank) said, ‘Game on, you come after me, I'm going to come after you,'" Haueter said.
"Both were smiling. Frank was being jovial Frank. It's a campaign, you know? One campaign says something, the other campaign says something back."
Gauny said he brought up the issue with Ferry at Tuesday's meeting to protect his reputation from personal attacks.
"I'm not going to be thrown up against the bus. I'm not perfect, but if you want to drag up stuff from 20 years ago and make it sound like yesterday, I can drag up stuff on Ferry from two years ago," Gauny said.
"This kind of stuff can ruin you as a business person out here, and Frank has no problem doing that," he said.
Ferry said Gauny is just trying to stir up controversy to promote his campaign.
"I put (Gauny) in the category of one more council candidate out to promote himself and his campaign at my expense," Ferry said.
"I've never been someone who attacks other candidates," Ferry said. "I've never done anything that is not worthy of being a council member in Santa Clarita."
Council candidate TimBen Boydston said he saw the two talking with each other but didn't hear exactly what was said.
"There was a conversation between Mr. Ferry and Mr. Gauny with regard to the upcoming election and Mr. Ferry did not appear to be pleased with Mr. Gauny's comments," Boydston said.
"I didn't hear the exact words of what transpired."