Fiery e-mail clouds Loudoun campaign

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Loudoun County Chairman Scott York used his official Loudoun.gov e-mail address and e-mail database Tuesday to bash his campaign opponent’s political tactics and defend his image.

“Mike Firetti has run a sleaze-filled campaign the likes of which have not been seen in Loudoun County,” York wrote to constituents.

Firetti’s campaign lashed out at York on Wednesday for what it described as an overtly political use of county resources to support his re-election effort.

“It’s a political attack piece he sent out from his county office,” said Brian Roherty, Firetti’s campaign manager. “The reason it’s a big deal is it would have cost a campaign about $5,000 to produce.”

Virginia State Board of Election policy manager Rosanna Bencoach said it did not appear York violated a state election law. “Unless it falls under the definition of advertisement, there is no election law that he has violated,” Bencoach said.

York, a two-term independent, said he sent the five-paragraph note to rebut claims that he used his position to benefit his employer and that someone else had paid his mortgage bills.

“I was defending myself in the office of chairman against their baseless lies,” York told The Examiner, claiming the e-mail cannot be considered $5,000 worth of communications.

York compared the e-mail to the mail pieces other supervisors have sent out using county funds during this year’s election season.

“[Firetti] ought to have a complaint against the Republicans who have sent mailers to their constitutents after they all announced their re-election bids,” York said.

But Firetti’s campaign distributed the code of ethics pledge York signed earlier this year to question York’s actions and pointed to the first line of the e-mail, in which York began, “Normally, I would only use this list for Board-related issues.”

“He’s acknowledging right there that he shouldn’t be using the computers,” Roherty said.

The episode just days before the Nov. 6 election continued the common refrains in the bruising race, with York blasting Firetti for negative campaigning, while Firetti raised questions about York’s ethics in office.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com

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