Attack ad calls target city election

SANDPOINT — Elections bring out the worst in people, and Sandpoint is no exception.

Residents in the Sandpoint area have been receiving “robocalls” attacking Shelby Rognstad, a candidate for mayor in the upcoming elections. Both Rognstad and challenger Mose Dunkel have denied any involvement in the attack ads.

Rognstad said the he was shocked and concerned when told of the phone calls Tuesday morning. He and Dunkel were together campaigning when advised of the attack ad.

“I found it surprisingly entertaining,” Rognstad said. “It’s hard to believe that anyone would think that would be effective.”

Dunkel agreed, calling the attack ad “childish.” Running a clean campaign is something he is passionate about, and he said he would never downgrade another person’s personality.

“The way I was raised, it does no good to devalue someone else to raise your own value,” Dunkel said. “I’m pretty surprised someone would go through all that work for a Sandpoint election.”

In the “robocall,” a male voice states that Rognstad thinks the voters are stupid. It goes on to say that Rognstad is unemployed and only wants the mayor position to collect a paycheck. It claims Rognstad changed the city zoning to allow low-income, high-density housing, which is “proven to ruin towns by bringing an undesirable element from the outside. It turns towns into crime-ridden trash heaps.”

The male voice compares Sandpoint to Ferguson, Mo., which has turned from a bedroom community into a city full of looters over the past 15 years. The voice says the town needs a “real leader and protector,” and not the “feminized” Rognstad. The voice asserts that Rognstad uses ideas that are currently ruining the state of California. The message continues that Rognstad wants to change the “country” feel of Sandpoint, using a country song in the background, to a “rap” community, complete with a rap song.

“He would be a joke if he wasn’t so dangerous,” the voice said.

The one-minute, 25-second message claims to be paid for by Sandpoint United Against Shelby. An Internet and Facebook search found no group with that name.

Rognstad is unsure who is behind the attack ads, but believes Dunkel is not involved. He is tracking the information through the state elections office.

“I have no reason to believe that Mose would do something like that,” Rognstad said.

There are two numbers associated with the calls, however, neither number was answered when called. An Internet search did not clearly identify a name connected with the numbers.

Bonner County deputy elections clerk Charles Wurm said they have two current requests for lists of voters, and has filled more than 100 requests in the past several years. Wurm said when people register to vote, they are not required to put down a telephone number.

“There’s not many numbers in there,” Wurm said. “It’s voluntary.”

Rognstad said this attack ad makes Sandpoint look bad. He hopes the voters will choose wisely on election day, and not let this attack ad sway their vote.

“It casts a little bit of a dark shadow over Sandpoint,” Rognstad said. “Sandpoint voters are too smart to respond to fear tactics. This attack sets a new low for Sandpoint politics. It is out of line with our community’s values. It reflects very poorly on Mr. Dunkel’s supporters. We need to focus on the important issues impacting our town, like job creation and expanding higher education.”

Dunkel feels that it is someone that has a “beef” with Rognstad, and is probably not local. He points out that the message discusses the zoning changes, which very few people are “up to speed” about.

“It’s definitely not a help for me,” Dunkel said.