Robocalls, Anonymous Mailings Highlight Ward 1 Campaign

It's been a week since Brentwood to the Board of Aldermen, but several questions remain unanswered regarding robocalls and anonymous letters sent to residents in Ward 1.

The mysterious nature of the attacks worries Maureen Saunders, a first-time candidate who was elected to represent the ward on April 3. She was targeted by three anonymous letters, that stated, among other things, that she's a bully and narcissist. She plans to file with the Missouri Ethics Commission this week.

"I am filing because I don't want another candidate to have such ugliness directed at them," stated Saunders in an email to Patch.

Election laws state that backers of campaign material must be identified. Saunders believes the anonymous letters and a second robocall could be found to be illegal.

Anonymous letters to Ward 1

Three mailings were sent to Ward 1 residents in the week leading up to last Tuesday's election. Each mailing had a theme.

The first stated that Saunders was insolent toward outgoing alderwoman Barbara Clements, and owed her a public apology.

In the second mailing, Saunders was compared to Carrie Nation, a temperance-movement radical who terrorized saloonkeepers. In the flyer Nation's face was replaced with Saunders'.

The third called her a narcissist, and stated she took unfair credit for initiating the state audit. It also related the number of times she used the word “I” in a campaign piece.

The letters weren't the only device used to contact Ward 1 residents. They also received two robocalls.

Who paid for the second robocall, and why?

Mayor Pat Kelly , but denies knowing anything about the second.

The first robocall survey to Ward 1 began with the question: Do you feel the city’s immediate endorsement for a state fiscal audit was appropriate? The survey drew ire from some citizens because it didn't specify who paid for it or why.

At the board of aldermen meeting following the call, many said the question  put a more positive spin on the city, and Kelly, than was warranted. Later in the meeting, .

“I think as mayor of city of Brentwood, I wanted to get an idea of what our residents thought,” he said.

Two weeks after the first call, hit the ward.

It began with the question: Do you believe it is fundamental to display self-control in public meetings? Saunders had raised her voice at a November 2011 board of aldermen meeting.  “You can have me arrested. I don’t care,” Saunders told Kelly in the meeting.

Jim Bischoff, running against Saunders, said he didn't know about the second round of calls until several days after it happened.

"I don't know who is behind it or what's going on," he said. "It's unfortunate that somebody has made this municipal election into this."

Who pulled Ward 1 voter information, and why?

Anyone can request names, addresses and voter histories from the because that information is open to the public. Those requests for information are also open to the public. Patch went to the board and requested to see who pulled Ward 1 voter information since December.

Three people had requested that information: Mike Daming, who ; Saunders, who was elected; and Glenn Jamboretz, the CEO of Glennon Company, a St. Louis marketing firm.

Jamboretz said he pulled the information to work with Daming's or Bischoff's campaigns. He also said he knows nothing about the anonymous letters.

He went to the election board on Feb. 28 and March 15. First, he requested information for Brentwood voters in all wards who cast ballots in municipal elections between 2009 and 2011. He also bought a map of the ward boundaries.

On his second trip, Jamboretz requested information for Ward 1 voters only.

“I was asked by a couple of people if I would be willing to work for (Daming), then he dropped out," said Jamboretz.

But Jamboretz requested the information more than a month after Daming withdrew from the race. When that was relayed to Jamboretz, he said he went because Bischoff’s campaign manager Pat Dignam, asked for a map of the ward.

Dignam said he asked Jamboretz about a voter list for a postcard campaign 10 days before the election.

Dignam said the only thing he knows about the anonymous letters is that when they came out, he and Bischoff were upset.

“I don’t know if there’s any way to really gauge it, but in my heart, I know those were not helpful at all to Jim,” he said. “I’m almost positive they hurt him. I'd love to find out who did send them, because I don't know if they're the best political strategist in the world."

The impact of the anonymous mailings and calls

Several questions remain unanswered following the municipal election.

Who sent out the mailings? Who wrote and paid for the second telephone survey? Why did they remain anonymous?

Bischoff said the nature of the campaign was an eye-opener. He was sure the anonymous letters were not helpful.

“Up until the last week of the race I was feeling pretty confident, until the letters came out,” he said.

The morning of election day, both candidates, sitting together on a bench at the polling place, said they were glad it was finally over, and both said they enjoyed the day spent with the other.

Though Saunders won the election 366 to 186, she said she is optimistic about working with all residents, as well as the board of aldermen and the mayor. She also hopes anonymous attacks are over in Brentwood.

"It keeps good people from throwing their name in the hat. Perhaps if it comes to light the practice may stop," Saunders said.