Pinole councilman facing recall threatens citizens group with lawsuit

PINOLE, December 2007 - Councilman Stephen Tilton, the subject of a recall in Pinole brought about by the citizens group Concerned Citizens of Pinole (CCOP), has threatened the CCOP with legal action as the recall heads into its final six weeks before the February 5, 2008, election.

Tilton and the former mayor, Maria Alegria, who still sits on the council, are the subjects of the recall. A third Pinole councilman, David Cole, was also a target, but he resigned his seat before he could be recalled. CCOP volunteers collected more than enough valid signatures on petitions to recall all three.

In an e-mail letter to CCOP spokesman Jeff Rubin, Tilton said, "I need a physical address where my attorney can serve papers. As the spokes person, I am asking you who should receive legal papers that are being drawn up? Kindly respond in a timely manner. As you know, it can not be a P.O. box.

"I have been threatened and intimidated and it does not feel good. I have simply asked several people, besides you, to address lies on the web site or at least delete them and it has never been addressed. So my attorney is now addressing it in the proper forum."

"The CCOP web site features numerous articles that were published in the Contra Costa Times over the last year," says Jeff Rubin, spokesperson for the CCOP. "The lies he says that appear on our web site appeared in the Times and other newspapers that are part of the Bay Area News Group, which include the Oakland Tribune and San Jose Mercury-News. If Tilton has a problem with the information in those articles, he should be suing the newspaper, not us.

"Since the recall began during the summer, Alegria and Tilton have said that it is based on lies, innuendo, political agendas, and personal vendettas. All of their anti-recall flyers carry the same message. So, I'm not surprised that Tilton has threatened us with legal action. I expect that Alegria will do the same in January.

"If Alegria is recalled her political life, at least as an elected official, will be over. I expect Alegria, with the help of her consultant Kevin Reikes, who boasts about producing political hit pieces, will use everything in her bag of tricks to try to mislead the voters and demean recall proponents at the same time. It seems to be the only way she knows how to campaign."

The Concerned Citizens of Pinole (CCOP) is a grass-roots group that is spearheading the recall of former Mayor Maria Alegria and Tilton. Their efforts began in June, when volunteer recall supporters began circulating petitions for citizens' signatures. In only two months, CCOP volunteers had collected several hundred more valid signatures from registered voters in Pinole than needed to have the recall placed on the February 5 ballot, the same day as the California Presidential Primary

The League of Women Voters and Common Cause, in partnership with the Contra Costa Times, will sponsor a recall debate and candidates' night on Thursday, January 10, 2008, at the Pinole Senior Center. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a debate between Alegria and Tilton vs. two recall proponents. The candidates' debate will follow.


JEFF RUBIN
Spokesperson
Concerned Citizens of Pinole for the Recall of
Maria Alegria and Stephen Tilton
(510) 724-9507, office and home (try this first)
(510) 303-2700, cell
jeff@thenewsletterguy.com
http://www.PinoleRecall.com