Campaign panel says 2 brochures unfair

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

The bipartisan Clean Elections Project said yesterday two Democratic Party of Hawai'i campaign brochures criticizing Big Island Republican Rep. Mark Jernigan, R-6th (Kailua, Keauhou), are "inaccurate, misleading and unfair."

But a local Democratic Party official said the only thing wrong in either of the brochures is a single typo in one of them.

It is the first time the Clean Campaigns Project, comprised of two Democrats and two Republicans, has raised objections against campaign material since it was formed last month by House Minority Leader Galen Fox, R-23rd (Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kaka'ako) and Sen. Les Ihara, D-9th (Kapahulu, Kaimuki, Palolo).

"The group has been very careful, and we went for things that were strictly untrue," said panel member Marilyn Bornhorst, a former Democratic lawmaker. "This one is untrue."

Members of the group acknowledge it has no power to stop such campaign activity, but hope publicity about this incident will discourage similar mailings.

The two brochures against Jernigan, who was elected to the House two years ago, question his attendance record and his votes on certain key bills. Jernigan's Democratic opponent, Josh Green, said he had no part in the brochures and that he does not condone what he called "negative political attacks."

Green said he would ask the Democratic Party to stop the brochures, but pointed out that a campaign rule bars a candidate from coordinating advertisements with a political party.

One of the brochures depicts an empty office chair with Jernigan's name on a nameplate, and accuses him of having a 46 percent absentee rate based on the number of votes he took on conference committees.

Bornhorst said attendance is not taken at conference committees and that the brochure falsely gives the impression that Jernigan has a spotty attendance record, when he attended 59 of 60 regular floor sessions of the House this year.

A second mailer falsely accuses Jernigan of voting against the state budget package on April 15, which the mailer says included educated-related initiatives as well as projects in Jernigan's district. Bornhorst said Jernigan voted for the budget on that date, although he had voted against an earlier version of the budget bill on March 11.

Joshua Wisch, the House Democratic caucus director, acknowledged that the date Jernigan voted against the budget bill was incorrect in the second brochure. He blamed the inaccuracy on a "typo."

But Wisch said he believes other statements in the bro-

chures are accurate. The first brochure never suggested that Jernigan missed floor sessions, Wisch said. Of the 26 votes taken in the conference committees Jernigan sat on in 2003 and 2004, he was absent from voting 12 times, Wisch said.

Wisch said he was disappointed with the panel. "I hope it rises above what it has done today," he said.

Jernigan applauded the panel's action.

GOP Party Chairman Brennon Morioka said: "The Democrats are clearly crossing the line. We're glad there's a group out there holding them accountable."