Chris Holmquist.
A self-described “bulldog” will “stop at nothing to ruin” the campaign to re-elect Bonnie Neely to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors.
The threat comes courtesy of a voicemail left at the Neely HQ, and appears to have come from a zealous Bass campaigner who used his own phone — with an unblocked number — to make the call. A Google search of the digits registered in Caller ID lands on the MySpace page for Christopher Holmquist of Eureka.
Fix your ears on this. Transcript below.
So, uh, Bonnie, how did you like the — the, uh, bad press I’m giving you? I will stop at nothing to ruin your campaign. I will stop you. I’m a bulldog. I’m gonna stop your campaign and you’re gonna fail.
According to his Twitter page, Holmquist is a go-to guy for Virginia Bass campaign signs. In the 3-way race, Bass is assumed to be the lead Neely challenger. Holmquist “eventually want[s] to be a campaign manager,” according to his Twitter bio.
Looks like he’s getting some hands-on experience. Holmquist was an organizer for Richard Marks’ successful campaign for the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District, which was led by Matthew Owen, husband of Ms. Bass. Now, Owen and Marks are leading the Bass campaign. Holmquist is again part of the team.
Neely volunteer Tom Peters said that aside from the voice mail, over 200 Neely campaign signs have gone missing — or in some cases have been replaced with Bass signs without permission of property owners. And it doesn’t stop there.
“One individual has made a number of verbal threats to Bonnie when she was out walking her district recently,” Peters wrote in an email. Maybe it’s part of the threat to “stop at nothing.”
Bass signs are also being stolen or defaced. The Bass campaign is offering a $500 reward for information on the culprits.
While they wait, now would be a good time to call off the dog.
Well that was kind of creepy. But, Bonnie needs to go, her time is up. Career politicians make bias decisions.
Wait! I know, lets replace her with Matthew Owen, through his wife of course. Owen has such a thirst for power and has whipped his minions up so much, they’re out stealing signs, stalking and making threats. Virginia has made some bad relationship mistakes before but this one is scary for all of Eureka!
Virginia………….say it ain’t so!
Bass, Owen, Linquist trio of sleazy.
Sorry, Holmquist
Even zealots on meds need jobs. Virginia Bass… tirelessly striving for the betterment of Eureka’s unemployed. This is just a good example of her work creation plan.
This Holmquist guy sounds like might be our beloved troll High Finance! I have always wondered what this dumb ass does for fun when he not being Arkley’s mouth piece. He steals signs and stalks, wow!
I’ve met this guy. Weird one. That’s totally him. Nice suit. I guess this is the end of his life ambitions.
No way. HiFi has posted some astute criticisms of Bass. Holmquist is a true believer all the way.
Seems like the kind of guy who might go postal after reading this.
Christopher Holmquist was staffing Virginia’s table at Arts Alive last week.
Very odd.
Myspace? try Facebook.
A new low for this blog. Picking on people with developmental disabilities. Chris is a good person who has a few challenges that he works hard to overcome. Does he always suceed, no. Should he be condemned to special needs programs when with a little understanding and overlooking an outburst or two he is fine.
The Bass campaign and Larry Glass’s before that should be applauded for keeping him in the mainstream. Shame on the posters here that would pick on someone less fortunate than themselves. What would your mother say?
Hee hee hee hee….. okay, I know this might be serious stuff, but really….I can’t stop laughing. It sounds like a sixth grade prank phone call. Maybe next time he’ll ask her if her refrigerator’s running.
Very sad to hear this garbage take place. Making threats is illegal, and should be prosecuted, even more since it is to a public official. Has it been filed yet?
EPD has a report.
Good.
I have seen him around the Bass family non stop for over a couple of years now. I think he might have done work for them at they’re restaurant awhile back.
Please look up Asperger’s Syndrome and then delete this entire post. It is totally repulsive. It is unconscionable that the supporters of any campaign would stoop this low.
How do we know a person has such a syndrome? What if Rob Arkley had it, should all those posts be deleted?
That wasn’t him,it was the lord speaking through him.Chris,what would Jesus think about your actions?
Welcome to Heraldo’s the place where we beat on the disabled. Stay tuned next week when we push quadrapeligics in their wheel chairs down four flights of stairs.
Oh. So threatening actions by Bass’s bulldog should be politely ignored. Huh.
a comment left on Richard Marks’ blog,
Suzy Gaxiola said…
Richard,
All of us working on Jeff’s campaign share your frustration over the sign removal situation as we too are losing signs. I would guess the percentage is the same across the board.
I hope these fellows are caught. I would imagine the motivation behind grown men brazenly taking signs for a local campaign lies in a hatred of the entire system and would not be directed at any specific candidate. I have heard that teens do some of the grabbing and either ditch the signs or thinking it is funny to replace them in unsuspecting yards. That kind of shenanigans would certainly explains how several people I have talked to door to door with Bass signs in their yards have no idea why they are there or who put them there without permission.
8:12 AM
Looks like we have our answer.
The words of a disabled person who due their disorder cannot fully control their words should absolutely be politely ignored. That’s the way I was raised.
It’s unwise for the Bass campaign to ignore this behavior.
How can we trick teens into thinking it’s funny to steal we-will-buy-your-home signs that are placed 12 feet up on telephone poles?
8.08am is totally correct. Chris Holmquist has some kind of developmental disability & if you talk to him for just a few minutes you can tell.
He means well, he just goes overboard & becomes too excited.
This whole topic is pure mean.
Yes, the campaign should deal with the issue, a private apology should be made. It is incredibly cruel to embaress this individual and his family in a public forum. Once your mistake was made known it is even more reprehensible to allow it to continue. Think about what you are doing to these innocent and disabled people. This is not politics even by Humboldt standards this is sickening.
Very sad to hear this garbage take place. Making threats is illegal, and should be prosecuted, even more since it is to a public official.
This, from the guy who sez people who believe in a full cleanup of the Balloon Tract should be “taken out and slapped”. Has busting Chris Holmquist mellowed Capdiamont? Only time will tell…
Will this become the milestone incident where the Anti-Bonnie coalition switches their vote to Jeff Leonard?
It’s getting ugly, and finally interesting now.
It makes me wonder if a good number of the signs that team Bass has reported missing or stolen are from yards where they had no permission to place them.
This same fellow has made some pretty over-the-top comments on Supervisor Neely’s Facebook page. They make me cringe. It is time to stop the bullying and I don’t care who is doing it. I don’t know who is saying that Christopher is disabled, but he was around the HCDCC when I was secretary, and he didn’t appear disabled to me – enthusiastic, yes, but this is just dirty politics.
Many renters have been suprised to find giant BASS signs in their yards. I suspect a number of these have been removed.
Holmquist has a blog – seems fairly well written, not as if written by some voice-mail creep with DD.
http://holmquistc.blogspot.com/
“…Holmquist…sounds like might be our…troll High Finance!”
Thanks to Heraldo for addressing this fatuous comment. We all know that Hi-Fi is a smart person, and I enjoy the presence of conservative voices on this blog.
Will the Times-Standard cover this? Are they investigating it?
if he is truly disabled you should be ashamed for posting this.
Will the turtle ever listen, or just take sound bites out of life?
Umm, I’ll point out that caller ID is not a phone trace. It’s easily faked. Do a google search for fake caller id and you will find free and fee services that let you report any phone number you wish when making a call, even the phone number of a campaign worker that has been published online. Some services will even change your voice for you.
Is it thinkable that someone would falsely incriminate a campaign worker to make a candidate look bad? Umm, well, is it thinkable a campaign worker would write fake letters to the editor? Yup. We know it’s happened before. Is it thinkable that campaigns would orchestrate large numbers of real people to write letters? Yup, campaigns have done that for years. Is it thinkable a campaign would anonymously launch a TV attack advertisement against itself to make the opposition look bad? It’s not been proven, but it certainly has been suspected.
All I’m saying is… mob mentality is dangerous. We don’t know anything unless the cops find evidence or someone confesses.
“Welcome to Heraldo’s the place where we beat on the disabled.”
Welcome to Matthew Owens BASS CAMPAIGN where we take advantage of an overly enthusiastic naive campaign worker, fill him full of animosity and hate then turn him loose, unsupervised on the community. Then cry foul when he’s caught.
I wish that Bass supporters posting here had the same compassion for Cherie Moore,who had a disability.
I see… he has no responsibility for his own actions?
Cap, unless the guy admits he did it, there is no evidence, short of some sort of spiffy voice matching software, but I suspect that’s rather iffy. Caller ID is not evidence to convict.
nice try 9:28 but there is a preponderance of evidence here buddy. Phone number. Voice ID. and visually Identified as the stalker-harasser.
Wow,
I guess it is time to pull out the Watergate tapes locally, lola!
Now, let’s see here, how many VOTERS will witness and READ publication and newspaper retractions from misrepresentations and political libel from election coverages – will local journalists print their needed retractions?
In fact, why are not journalists digital audio recording the interviews too? Makes all sense in the world to make the job more efficient and the news 100% accurate. Sad that biases and partialisms are included in individual article write-ups by unethical journalists.
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyviille – 5th District
Umm, 9:41, what do you not understand? Caller ID is not evidence. Read my 9:28 comment. ANYONE with a web browser can fake caller ID, and Heraldo has pointed out the guy’s phone number is published online. He’s not some random unknown campaigner either as Heraldo has pointed out a few known facts about him that make him some sort of mid-level player.
Bonnie is a big girl, she can handle it. There are always A-holes involved in any campaign who go too far. This is just part of the dirty campaign being run against Bonnie. For all we know, Matt might have put him up to it. The old – ‘I wish someone…’
After hearing the voicemail will Virginia, Matthew and Richard Marks deny it’s Holmquist?
Joel Mielke Says:May 9, 2010 at 9:17 am. “Thanks to Heraldo for addressing this fatuous comment. We all know that Hi-Fi is a smart person, and I enjoy the presence of conservative voices on this blog.”
Conservative voices yes Joel, but defamers and prevaricators like Hi-Fi should be rebuked.
Then cry foul when he’s caught.
Exactly. Politics. Dirty Politics.
Wow. I’m glad a report was filed with EPD.
A few years ago, I’d have assumed any campaign would immediately separate itself from anyone making a comment like that on the recording. Attacking Heraldo for supposedly being against the disabled is a new tack I’d never have thought of.
I assume it’s easy enough for anyone who knows Chris Holmquist to decide for themselves whether or not it was his voice. If it wasn’t, the campaign should immediately say so. If it was, the campaign should immediately make a public apology for his action(s), and should announce that he will have no further connection with the campaign.
To say “Caller ID is not evidence to convict,” like Anonymous 9:39, may or many not be true. It shouldn’t take “evidence to convict” for any campaign to recognize a voice, with or without spiffy or iffy software. How sad!
To compare this with a letter-writing campaign or with a fake name on a letter to the editor is an insult to the intelligence and decency of Heraldo’s readership. This is stalking.
If you’ve got the right guy, Mitch. Otherwise, you’ve become someone to be ashamed of. Check your facts before you light your torch.
Switch to the other side and invent a pre-choreographed day time drama series – kinda like a traitor does when jumping from one enemy to another, lol.
Maybe, Virgina has a pre-meditated and lying in wait campaign worker who only had a pre-determined plan to railroad Virginia through an opponent- who knows. The World is FULL OF DECEIT.
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
No, 9:55. This is stalking. I said, “It shouldn’t take “evidence to convict” for any campaign to recognize a voice, with or without spiffy or iffy software.”
If it’s not Chris Holmquist, great. I don’t know his voice, so I don’t know if it is.
Oh, and for the record, what you call an insult to your intelligence, I call being a voice of reason. I pointed out facts. Will you deny any of the facts I presented in my 9:28 message? Or do you merely dismiss them as irrelevant because you’d like to think the worst of people when it suits you?
I didn’t say the guy is innocent. I just don’t succumb to mob mentality and assail someone when there isn’t proof. This incident is cause to investigate further, and thankfully that investigation will be conducted by reasoned law enforcement officers, not you.
Mitch, in what universe is a single phone call stalking? It could be a verbal threat, but stalking usually involves a pattern of behavior. You seem to be saying you know who the caller is, if you know this is indeed stalking.
I understand a license plate was also recorded during one of the stalking incidences when Bonnie was walking the district. Such blatant methods don’t go unnoticed in a small town.
9:59,
I entirely agree with you about mob mentality.
We seem to disagree about whether anyone can recognize a voice on the phone. Perhaps somebody’s a really good mimic, right? Or maybe, like, they’ve been secretly recording sentences for years until they cleverly patched together a string of them to attack a “mid-level campaign worker.”
Right.
Anonymous 10:01,
You are trying to defend the indefensible.
mresquan-Mark. Please explain about Chris social problems. And yes, Chris worked on the Larry Glass campaign also.
Hooked on Bass? Off the Hook? Ass? Book? Phone Book?
Surely there’s a song here somewhere…
Turtle has been watching Colbert.
I wonder how many on Bonnie’s campaign have said that they want to distroy Jeff or Virginia’s campaign. Seems like the kind of comment that probably gets made all the time. There was no physical threat made whatsoever. The problem here was that it was made publicly, that kind of thing, “the inability to act appropriately…”, ” Aspergers patients typically exhibit a lack of social etiquette…” these are textbook kind of symptoms of Asperger’s. Look it up.
Yet somehow he refrained from threatening and stalking Mary Beth Wolford.
Hooked? Bass? Ass? Assbergers! That’s what they are!
Anon 10:07 – Probably. But they don’t generally leave it on a voice mail for the opposing candidate. That crosses a line, and unless there’s some serious misunderstanding I think the Bass campaign is going to be forced to distance itself from this guy. I’ve been deeply involved in campaigns and I know emotions can run high. But you can’t let this slide.
Turtle has been watching Colbert
Thank Jah/Jahdess for Colbert, John Stewart, and Turtles! Laughter is key for Survivor! :)
Perhaps it would resolve the issue if Larry were to weigh in on Holmquist and his Aspergers. Does Larry believe the guy should be attacked publicly? Come on Larry help us out, if the guy is normal tell us so and lets take him to task but if not…
Put it on Larry now. Hee-hee.
It’s up to the Bass campaign to explain this.
Seriously.
I think my older kids may have gone through school with
guy, I will ask about him later today.
Eric, you are absolutely right, that kind of conduct does cross a line, unless there is a medical reason and even that only makes it understandable not acceptable. The response here has been the equivilent of sending in EPD with guns blazing without finding out what really happened. If he is in fact an Aspergers sufferor ths guy has now been publicly pulverized for the affects of his condition. Hows that for a descrimination suit aside from being simply wrong?
Happy Mothers Day Mrs. Holmquist from the crew at Heraldo’s. Were the challenge of raising a child with special needs not enough we thought we would pass on this special Mother’s Day gift.
I don’t know any of the medical details for Chris, but I can assure everyone here that he has a disability. He does hang around Virginia and Matthew a lot. They should address this “privately” with Heraldo and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The Bass campaign should privately apologize to Neely and this Blog should publicly apologize to Holmquist and then delete the whole mess.
Amen
If anyone is trying to say that the Bass campaign knew that it was employing someone who might do this (because of a disability or not), that speaks volumes about Bass’ judgment.
This is not hiring someone who is physically disabled, or hiring a “slow” person to help stuff envelopes.
There are three separate items that identify Chris. One is the phone call. Two are the verbal threats from his truck directly to Bonnie when she was walking her district. Three are the comments he put on MySpace. I know of no creditable diagnosis of Aspergers or anything else. If that is the case, Virginia’s campaign should be aware of it by now and have taken appropriate precautions. Chris is the type of zealot who will do ‘anything’ to see his choice win. His comments in this regard make him potentially dangerous. When you get someone like Mat Owen ‘pumping him up’, it’s real easy for the situation to get out of control. It’s up to Virginia to stop Chris’ bad behavior and to apologize to Bonnie. Being disabled, if true, does not excuse threatening or illegal behavior.
People with disabilities don’t get a pass for anti-social behavior. Some are “challenged” because they have to learn coping mechanisms if they have impulse control problems. If he has Asperger’s that doesn’t say much. Aspergers can be very severe or very mild. I’m dyin’ to see what comes out of the EPD investigation. Seems like a campaign out of control.
When Chris worked on the Glass Campaign they kept him under control. Chris suffers some from “delusions of grandeur”.
The real blame here is on Matthew Owen for exploiting him in this way.
There may not be an actual investigation happening, but EPD is aware of the situation.
“The real blame here is on Matthew Owen for exploiting him in this way”
100% correct! Looking pass this incident….is this who you want as supervisor, becuase if you elect his wife, this is who you get.
The Kids say other than being kinda funny looking (in a general sorta way dont’cha know) he wasn’t developmentally disabled or in any special class that they recall…
Yeah, that’s right, lets not even give those who need a boost a chance. Maybe we should lock them all up in asylums so they don’t say anything inappropriate. Oop’s we already tried that and it didn’t work out so well. On the other hand maybe we could be a little understanding and forgiving and help everyone to reach their full potiental. That means taking a few minor risks and offering a helping hand occaisionally. One can wish…
Well, that makes no sense. If the phone call represents stalking and all the other illegal nastiness the mob has insinuated, then it’s a travesty of justice if it’s not investigated.
The silience from Marc Konkler and Larry Glass who both know Holmquist and are well aware of his issues is deafening.
You tell ‘em George how you do things down there in Texas.
Yes, because we all know that the people who fill your conspiratorial dreams are all visiting and reading the same websites you visit, especially on a Sunday morning. Their silence is deafening? Get a grip on reality.
12:04:
Travesty of justice? This is not a travesty of justice. You want travesty of justice?
Cherie Moore’s death…
Pacific Lumber’s attempt to buy a recall…
The Ferndale police’s daddy arrest…
The Trinidad police’s computer seizure…
The “code enforcement” terror raids…
Roger Rodoni’s free ranch, and the FPPC opinion…
The dumping of environmental protesters in the middle of nowhere…
Give me a fucking break.
I check with the PD on Friday. I was told that Sargent O’Neil was looking into it.
BTW The stalking incident happen outside the city limits in Myrtletown.
I know Chris & I am at least 95% sure that is his voice. But I also know he has some kind of disability and the attacks on him are dirty politics & you people should be ashamed.
The phone call was silly and stupid. But I hear no threat in the few seconds in the audio. Somebody said “delusions of grandeur” and that fits Chris & correctly describes the phone call.
Cool off hothead. I was mocking the mob in its rush to judgment.
It will take the EPD twenty minutes to talk to Chris read his medical records and say nevermind, have a nice day. Nothing happened, no threats were made other than to continue giving Bonnie some bad PR. She does a pretty good job of that on her own. Lets hope the Times Standard pick this up. I can see the headline “Neely Campaign Demands Death Penalty For Inappropriate Comment By Mildly Disabled Youngster”, or “Neely Cowers In Closet Due To Opposition Threat To Continue Bad Press”.
This incident speaks volumes about Virginia’s judgement. I do not want her making decisions for
me, either should anyone else.
yep, Chris has a DD and that’s why we need leaders — to protect health and social services. Bass campaign is training terriorists and her advisers are where the buck stops, for taking advantage of Chris Holmquist. It takes a village to protect a child — which Bonnie knows, works hard, and delivers. It only takes one idiot to fuck it up (in this case two, Owen and Marks). Shame on you guys! You owe Chris’s mom a HUGE apology — she is the Sweetest woman and number one mom and counts on the “village” to be civilized.
Anonymous 12:15 (and, I suppose, author of most of the earlier Anonymi),
Wow, again. Are you trying for humor?
A campaign includes someone who (according to what’s above) not only leaves a threatening message on someone’s voice mail, but according to A-nony-mouse at 10:58, issues threats from his truck while a candidate is walking the district? And your response is that to not keep this secret is mean? To suggest that the candidate “cowers in closet”?
You are the good ol’ boy of good ol’ boys. Congrats!
Oh, horseshit. Every candidate running would be competent in the job. You need to learn how to live in the same community as people who don’t agree with everything you believe. You need to learn how to play well with others.
People with developmental disabilities often learn to get along by going along. Some even float to the top of business and politics. Why, the richest man in town probably has Tourette’s syndrome.
“This incident speaks volumes about Virginia’s judgement”. Oh my gosh, your sooo right. We absolutely don’t want to elect someone who will give others a chance. The last thing we want is someone who supports the challenged and less fortunate.
This may be a speed record for reaching 100 comments on Heraldo or any other local blog. This is more comments than the Mirror has received all year.
Babushka- Asberger’s is diagnosed by its “anti-social” behavior, among other things. If they could cure the anti-social, odd behavior, and the difficulty this population has interpreting and responding to social cues, they could “cure” much of what is known as Asbergers. Someone must know what’s up here. It seems in bad taste to keep the post up if there is a diagnosis here.
“Holmquist has a blog – seems fairly well written, not as if written by some voice-mail creep with DD.
http://holmquistc.blogspot.com/”
Well, it looks like someone mysteriously deleted this blog in it’s entirety-
Wonder why??
Guilty as charged. Lock em’ up Garr.
Is “Ruin” synonymous with “Destroy?”
Who does this guy think he is, Rob Arkley?
Better get Steven Glazer involved, pronto!!
MySpace and Twitter also taken down.
Agree “somebody” must know what’s up here. Giving someone with disabilities a chance and patronizing them by excusing bad behavior are two entirely actions.
Just listened to the call.
Mostly he seems to be threatening to create “bad press” for a candidate he doesn’t like. However, “I will stop at nothing” is a phrase that could cover a lot of ground. Whether it was meant as a threat of physical violence is impossible for me to determine based on this call alone.
If it is true that the same guy has been involved in other stalking behaviors, that would push me more in the direction of interpreting this message as potentially a more serious threat. If so, the police should at least go and talk to this guy to let him know that he’s crossed the line and what the consequences are if he were to continue any stalking and/or threatening behaviors.
Whether or not this fellow has a disability, it’s clear that he does have an inflated sense of self-importance and self-righteousness, and an unhealthy desire to (at least) verbally harass the person he has fixated on as his political “enemy.”
He may have a disability or not, but since he has been high-functioning enough to be an organizer and/or volunteer on numerous political campaigns, I don’t think he should just be given a pass for his behavior.
At the very least, he owes Bonnie an apology, and someone (preferably from law enforcement) needs to sit down with him and explain why his behavior has been out of line and what would happen if it continued.
[Perhaps someone from the Bass campaign might also want to mention to him how completely counterproductive his actions have been, from the point of view of trying to help Bass, his preferred candidate.]
He doesn’t say, “we are going to defeat you.”
He says, “I will stop at nothing to ruin your campaign.” It’s a different message; threatening, malicious. Developmental disability or no, this is not acceptable.
people who are not mentally fit shouldn’t be allowed to assist in running a campaign.
I assume Chris will read this blog. He stepped over the line, yes. But let’s be a kind village. Public discussion is one thing but now there is another line.
i’d have to agree with the reasonable annonymous, he should definately have some form of consequence, i mean if he’s led successful campaigns before without threats like this, then he must have some sence of decency.
I’m trying to imagine being this Chris guy, doing what he did and getting caught, and then reading this thread.
Those who are suggesting that he shouldn’t be taken seriously and should more or less be given a free pass because he is “special” and can’t be held responsible fore his actions — those folks are dismissing and humiliating him at a whole other level.
On the other hand, taking his vague threats too seriously and making him out to be some kind of powerful and menacing figure would only feed his obviously overinflated sense of self-importance.
I have met Chris while walking around town. He has always been friendly and talkative. I knew something was slightly different about him. Eventually, I realized he has memory problems. Even after meeting him and talking with him a number of times, he has forgotten that he ever met me. And he may have more problems than I can tell. Either way, his world must be a difficult one to live in.
Naturally, being different is no excuse for threatening or unkind behavior. I assume local law enforcement will do the right thing about the complaints that have been made.
I would ask Heraldo and all others to have a heart and be understanding. Is someone manipulating Chris for political reasons? If so, that is revolting. Who would be manipulating him? Who is buying his suits for him? Heraldo, please focus your attention on who would take advantage of a nice, friendly, talkative young man who has a very poor memory and other possible information-processing problems, and a desire to please others and be accepted by them.
You know what? I think it would be a great idea if these stupid yard signs were made illegal as they are nothing but litter on peoples’ property. If anyones vote for a candidate is swayed by these eyesores, god help us. If anything, I’d vote for the candidate who doesn’t go for this means of getting their name out there. Geez, enough already.
To Chris, if you are reading this blog,
If you left the phone message, and if you were following a candidate in your truck, you blew it. That’s OK, we all screw up from time to time.
You will need to step back from the campaign, and it would probably be best if you do it on your own.
If other people on the campaign were encouraging you to do what you did — in any way — they are not your friends, and you owe them no loyalty.
Yes, there are dirty tricks in politics, especially as politics is portrayed on TV and the movies. But this sort of behavior is not acceptable in this community. Nobody should be suggesting to you that it is.
I don’t know whether he was any official member of the Bass campaign team, so I’m not sure whether it is appropriate to blame Marks or Bass or anyone else for this guy’s actions. But it would certainly be appropriate for them to make it clear that they do not in any way condone such activities by their supporters.
If they can manage to make such a statement without trying to twist it in such a way as to get in a few jabs at Bonnie, they get extra points for integrity.
Mitch,
Well put. Chris, Mitch is offering you some good advice.
Eric, you are absolutely right, that kind of conduct does cross a line, unless there is a medical reason and even that only makes it understandable not acceptable. The response here has been the equivilent of sending in EPD with guns blazing without finding out what really happened. If he is in fact an Aspergers sufferor ths guy has now been publicly pulverized for the affects of his condition. Hows that for a descrimination suit aside from being simply wrong?
Unfortunately, when something happens like this, nerves are rattled and responses can be heavy-handed. I don’t know the gentleman to know if there is a medical explanation, and if that’s the case and any threats to personal safety have been ruled out, then I agree that everyone should just move on along; nothing here to see.
I also don’t believe it’s appropriate to blame campaign people for his actions unless you have evidence that it was encouraged. Knowing the people as I do, I know that it wasn’t.
Eric,
With respect, if you were running for office and some guy connected to another candidate heckled you from a truck and left the voicemail we’ve all heard on your machine, would you think there was “nothing here to see”? What if he was taller and heavier than you?
“The silience from Marc Konkler and Larry Glass who both know Holmquist and are well aware of his issues is deafening.”
FYI,I have no idea what his issues are and I have known him for years,but I do assume something exists.I don’t live in a world where I find any need to judge,treat,or even assume someone has any sort of disability.Chris has always seemed to me to be a decent human being.
And it’s quite likely that if you,anonymous,are aware that both Larry and I know him,than so do you,so perhaps you can explain those issues further.
“some guy connected to another candidate heckled you from a truck and left the voicemail we’ve all heard on your machine,”
I gather that it was the stuff written on twitter and myspace that draws the attention.
Another tempest in a tea pot that shouldn’t make a whit of difference to anyone’s vote, but apparently commenters here think it should(or will). That’s a shame, especially when Neely supporters here play into finger wagging in lieu of political issues.
Threats of all kinds are made commonly in this “rural paradise”, the official methods to deal with them mostly effectively deter any violence.
At least this threat was reported to the EPD, who have some authority and responsibility to deal with things like this. That should have been it. Its a whole lot more civilized than Marks’ cheap stunt claiming victimhood of a partisan “sign war” and skulking around corners as a self-proclaimed investigator.
I agree with you NAN. But I’m glad it got exposed nonetheless to serve as a check on unacceptable behavior as the campaign for this hotly contested election enters its final month.
Geese – Im dizzy from all that spin. Whats the big deal? Threats? Are you kidding? Signs are a complete waste of resources. Your supporters know you, and will vote for you. Morons who vote solely on name recognition are a huge reason our political system is bunk.
NAN wrote,”That’s a shame, especially when Neely supporters here play into finger wagging in lieu of political issues.”
I’ll assume that you meant Bass supporters,as at least there have been a handful of posters here on this blog who have been able to assess issues involving Bonnie,whereas Bass supporters can’t seem to find any specific issue to enhance Virginia’s political will,other than mentioning any given stab at Neely.
With respect, if you were running for office and some guy connected to another candidate heckled you from a truck and left the voicemail we’ve all heard on your machine, would you think there was “nothing here to see”? What if he was taller and heavier than you?
I’m talking about for the general public’s interest Mitch and I believe I said said it’s no longer of public interest once the personal safety issue is resolved. If there is mental illness involved, then it doesn’t require public vilification. It’s something for the authorities to deal with quietly and professionally. Unless of course he was put up to it or something.
In fact, I’d say that if the individual is emotionally unbalanced, some of the posts in this thread actually increase the danger of more serious incident. Again, I don’t know what the young man’s condition is, so I feel uncomfortable even discussing this in a public forum.
A report to the police, private telephone conversations between the campaigns – that’s how it should be handled.
Wake up Eric Kirk, Matthew Owen caused this and you know it.
Eric,
I admire your judgment, but we disagree.
This is a campaign for public office. If some earlier comments here are accurate and I’m not misunderstanding them, there have been several incidents, with some occurring before this weekend.
If it is a campaign worker behind any or all of these incidents, the campaign does not need to name the campaign worker, but it does need to make a public statement of apology to the other campaigns and to the public. It also needs to make clear that it is no longer going to allow the worker in question to have any role in the campaign.
So according to 3:54, Matthew Owen decided that the way to win the race for Virginia was to have someone who is easily connected to Virginia’s campaign start stalking Bonnie and leave harassing messages on Bonnie’s answering machine How exactly would embarassing Virginia’s campaign have helped Virginia’s campaign?
Vote for Pedro!
Well, his current Twitter account is down, but Google has some of it cached. It included the following gems[the bracketed phrases are my comments]:
11:44 PM Mar 12th
Talked to someone during campaign work today that said she recognized me from somewhere before. She said I’m all over the place.
[Perhaps that "someone" was Bonnie Neeley?]
8:42 PM Feb 11th
my brain seriously needs a vacation!
[Apparently it took one!]
2:23 PM Feb 3rd
Oh boy, I think I have way more on my plate right now than I can handle. I just need to have 2 things at a time to do.
[Like stalking and leaving threatening messages?]
Whoops, welcome to the era of blogs where shame isn’t an impediment to publishing.
Defies logic, I know, however if you know the players it doesn’t.
Am I the only one that finds it insane that ANYONE is defending this guy?
I know Chris from his earlier years and I find this whole situation to be very sad. From what I know (and I do qualify that), I can’t imagine him doing anything violent. But, obviously, his actions in this situation were inappropriate and have to be addressed. It’s unfortunate, because I have seen him involved in several local campaigns and he was clearly thrilled to be a part of the political scene. His tendency to be overzealous with his enthusiasm for a cause and to not recognize boundaries have probably put an end to that. That said, I don’t know how he could have been monitored in such a way to prevent this.
Well said 4:53. And I agree with you observations.
Someone puts on the blog that this fellow is mentally
disabled. Who diagnosed this? If, he were mentally
impaired in some way, he in all probability would
know right from wrong. His judgement may be impaired,
which would not excuse his behavior. The person at
fault here is undoubtedly the campaign manager, he
should have known this person’s limitations. If some-
one should quit, it should be the incompetent manager.
Would we be better off if we lived in an emotionless, PC, black & white world?
Question: Is Virginia to be held accountable for any of this? She allowed him to represent her.
If it isn’t clear, Eric and I are pretty much of the same opinion. This has nothing to do with politics, IMHO. People on all sides of a political issue can act like asses in other contexts.
I think Mitch is a instigator of inflating this beyond all reason. As Joseph Welch said to Joe McCarthy “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”.
I know I’m not the only one disgusted with a lot that has transpired in this thread, and I don’t mean people calling for reasoned thought and careful steps instead of jumping on the bandwagon to vilify an individual.
Has anyone checked this guys basement to see if he has newspaper clippings of Bonnie all over his walls?
This person needs to be dealt with immediately. It very well could have been a blog about poor Bonnie, nobody saw it coming! Wake up people, there are crazy folks in the world. Arrest this man! I believe he is clearly dangerous to her.
That seems like a bit of an exaggeration, “Reality” @ 5:33.
Is there anyone here truly surprised that Virginia would have someone like this affliated with her campaign?
You know whats really too bad is that Bonnie couldn’t just pick up the phone and call Virginia’s campaign and simply say “Hey, I think we have a problem” or even simply call the cops if she felt so in fear for her life. Instead Bonnie’s campaign had to try an bake a big scene by having Heraldo post it here. By virtually all accounts Holmquist is a litte “special” but not dangerous at all. Certainly he was wrong and should be called to account but has this been the proper way? Bonnie tried to make political hay out of it and she would seem to have suceeded at least a little but a what cost? I challenge us all to set aside, just for a moment, what Holmquist apparently did and think about if this is the way we really want to have our representatives act.
Chris should be delt with appropriately, Bonnie should be ashamed of the way her campaign responded.
Hear, Hear, Well said Anon. Everything is not always about winning unless you are Bonnie.
Is a posting on an anonymous blog the way the Neely administration deals with potiental crimes? This was a totally bullshit way for Neely to respond. She constantly tells us how her 24 years of experience will guide us into the future. Sure, by embarassing a disabled guy on a blog instead of letting law enforcement do it’s job.
No thanks.
H., was this another “rush” to beat the TS on a “scoop”? Rest on your past laurels and cool it.
H. has no one but her(him)self to blame for reprisal spin and misrepresentation, like anon 5:48 coming out of the woodwork. A pox on all your houses.
For the last time, he is not disabled! He is a grown man!
Anons 5:51 and 6.04 – Yes, yes, let’s blame the victim. Bonnie asked for this, didn’t she? Serving the public for 24 years is basically an invitation for harassment. Yes, it’s all Neely’s fault. Hmm… I don’t see any posts from Neely campaign people on this blog “dealing with a potential crime”. There are a lot of blogers speculating and waiting for some answers.
Meanwhile no one representing the Bass campaigned has stepped in to explain the relationship of this person to the Bass campaign. I agree that this isn’t part of a planned campaign, but I’m also sure the Bass campaign has been alerted by this point and yet there is no move to explain this rogue behavior and state that this individual is no longer (or never was) part of the campaign. Instead this is allowed to spin to the point where it is… Neely’s fault! It is somehow Leonard’s fault too – right?
Forget that it was posted here. That, is frankly to be expected. It is Bonnie and her campaign who sent it here to be posted. It is Bonnie’s responsibility alone and she should apologize to Holmquist. I wonder if there isn’t a legitamate defamation claim and suit to be made against Neely or the Herald. Clearly, the information came from the Neely campaign, equally clear it was the subject of some kind of a police investigation. If I were Holmquist I would be talking to a laywer.
“…she should apologize to Holmquist.”
And with a spin, and a twist, and a reverse double axle, it is now the victim who owes the harasser an apology. Craptastic.
“If I were Holmquist I would be talking to a lawyer.”
Not a bad idea, considering he may be in trouble for stalking/harassing/threatening someone.
Quite right 6:26, the Bass spin is coming out to paint Bonnie as a perp instead of the victim. This will play about as well as most Rovian ploys, they will lose. The smart thing to do is apologize to Bonnie and let the real embarrassment go. Too bad they probably think it’s better to try and save face and blame the victim.
Ask yourself nothing more than, How did the information get posted here if not by Bonnie?
Each party has it’s share of responsibility for what has gone on. That is Bonnies share.
Frankly I’m a little more worried that someone like Holmquist is so closely affliated with Virginia’s campaign and they obviously can’t rein the guy in. I think that speaks volumes about Virginia and her judgment, which was already pretty questionable in several instances before this.
Holy crap, someone just said Bonnie should apologize?
Virginia tends to make announcements from her Facebook page.
So far, nothing. No comments by any others either.
“I wonder if there isn’t a legitimate defamation claim.”
For something to be defamation, for starters it must be false.
Of course we don’t actually know what Holmquist did. We only heard what Bonnie sent to Heraldo. Forgive me if I take that with a small pound or two of salt.
I don’t see how Bonnie making the information public is wrong? So what if she personally handed a tape to Heraldo or Mirror. I’m glad she did. The public has a right to know so we can make an INFORMED decision. Also, Bonnie should not have to tolerate threats. Threats are threats. Expose them.
Anyone who has dealt with this individual would know that it would be prudent to manage his activities. Larry Glass understood this as would any thoughtful person. Unfortunately in this case he came under the direction of those managing a campaign who are not in the least bit perceptive nor do they much care what damage they might wreak on a vulnerable person. I think it speaks volumes about the personalities of those managing Virginia’s campaign. They set these events into motion either intentionally or out a level of insensitivity that is disgusting. Shame on you for taking advantage of this young man to do your dirty work.
Curious, In the event of a suit and the inevitable depositions, how does Bonnie answer the question of who she sent the supposed recording to in order to have it posted?
premature in the extreme
Yup, 6:42, that’s the spin from the Bonnie-haters: Bonnie simply MUST apologize to the guy who has been stalking, harassing, and leaving threatening phone messages for her. She is honor-bound to apologize to her tormentor because HIS feelings might have been hurt because his inappropriate behavior has been exposed here at the Humboldt Herald.
I’m sure the police appreciate Bonnie’s shennagins here today. A bunch of blog nonsense is just how they want their investigation handled. If Bonnie wasn’t trying to create political fodder she would have just let the cops do their job.
Campaigns have a lot of staff and volunteers. The assumption that Bonnie leaked the info is just wishful thinking on the part of Bass’s spin doctors.
Or maybe one of the Haraldos is working on Neely’s campaign and heard it himself. Can’t blame Neely until you ask her if she leaked it. Can’t blame Holmquist until you find out it was him.
6:47, No such suit is even remotely likely, and if filed would be laughed out of court before any depositions. Here are the facts: someone (maybe Bonnie/) reported the facts about the stalking/harassing behavior, including the threatening voice mail message. Heraldo reported the alleged threats and harassment, the caller ID info, and some background on Chris, and posted the voice mail threat for anyone to hear (and in a realtively small political community, many are quite certain that the voice matches the Caller I.D. identity).
None of that PROVES that Chris Holcomb is guilty of these actions or of breaking a law (which would have to take place in a court of law anyway), but it’s certainly a set of facts that points in his direction. And those of us commenting on those facts are free to voice our opinions, that’s part of the give-and-take of free speech.
So your attempt to turn the alleged perp into the victim just ain’t gonna fly with any but the most mindless Bass partisans. The stalker/harasser/voice-mail-threatenter crossed the line between civility and thuggery, and will be admonished by his friends and colleauges (hopefully) and may be dealt with by law enforcement (if necessary). Sure, the Bass campaign will be embarrassed — as it should be if one of their active volunteers was involved — but life will go on.
Holmquist, that is…
There is no ‘victim’ on either side of this. Hardly an offense – beyond just acting our of line. So what?
So what? Vote for Bonnie. That’s what!
Anyone who has ever spoken to Chris knows it was his voice. And Chris, Im pretty sure you have been reading Heraldo today like every day and maybe its time to be ahead of this thing and apologize either on Twitter or your blog because you blew it big time and its pretty easy to see you werent thinking about consequences and you certainly werent thinking ahead to the part about this hurting Virginia Bass and she didnt deserve any of it.
Its also a sure thing the blog community cant see themselves for the pack mentality and ganging up-its not pretty! None of us is qualified to diagnose someone theyve never met without a medical degree, most of us arent lawyers or the cops so quit it!
If it is a campaign worker behind any or all of these incidents, the campaign does not need to name the campaign worker, but it does need to make a public statement of apology to the other campaigns and to the public. It also needs to make clear that it is no longer going to allow the worker in question to have any role in the campaign.
I don’t have any problem with that.
Eric, I’m suprised, are you really suggesting that someone who may well be the subject of a criminal investigation into alleged threats and stalking claims make a public comment without the benefit of representation? I don’t know much about law but that doesn’t seem prudent legal advice.
7:34 seems to be having a reading comprehension problem.
By the way, I’m not sure the Bass campaign owes Bonnie an apology (unless they somehow encouraged this guy to get nasty, personal and threatening, and I very much doubt that they did, given how counterproductive this would be).
If Chris Holmquist IS the voice on that threatening message (which seems all but certain at this point), then HE certainly owes Bonnie an apology.
The Bass campaign, however, should at least make a statement that they regret that the incidents took place and that they don’t support or condone such actions by any of their supporters. That would be entirely appropriate.
Correct, certain is the one thing it’s not.
So are we done blaming Neely for this?
“That would be entirely appropriate.”
It would only be appropriate if they really did not condone the actions in question.
anon wrote,”or even simply call the cops if she felt so in fear for her life. Instead Bonnie’s campaign had to try an bake a big scene by having Heraldo post it here.”
Ummmm….do some reading and research my friend…..the police were indeed notified and has been pointed out way up in this thread.
Wake up Eric Kirk, Matthew Owen caused this and you know it.
Yeah. Somewhere he’s in his evil HQ rubbing his hands together and cackling away.
Look, I understand the issues and stakes in this election, and for what I’d like to see in county development policies I have to lean towards Bonnie, my appreciation for Virginia and her extensive community service notwithstanding. But this really isn’t where you want to focus the discussion. Big boxes and smart growth – those are the issues at hand.
Eric, I’m suprised, are you really suggesting that someone who may well be the subject of a criminal investigation into alleged threats and stalking claims make a public comment without the benefit of representation? I don’t know much about law but that doesn’t seem prudent legal advice.
Huh?
Yes, let’s focus on the issues at hand, because it is obvious there also that Virginia and the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz have something important in common.
Heraldo,
Please just take this thread down, follow it up on the phone, if, after following up, in your judgment the thread should go back up, by all means do so.
But don’t forget there are people and families in our community getting hurt by this thread.
Bonnie, if you are reading this, I truly hope you feel safe.
I will make a prediction and say that an apology,either public,or to Bonnie and her campaign privately,will be made within a day or two.
And unless Matt Owen was holding a gun to Chris’s head,he isn’t at fault,as Chris is responsible for his own actions.
Ken,I think that heraldo has a right to keep this up until the apology has been made,then take it down.
I think the word many of you are looking for is “immature”. It is something that afflicts many young people. Their mouths and actions get way ahead of their brains. If he is not called on it now, how can he make better decisions later on. That is what parents usually do. He was also given too much responsibility in a political campaign of this importance. That represents poor judgment from Virginia’s advisers. That is how I see it.
Those who associate with Chris and welcome his campaigning, as Virginia and Matt have done, certainly aren’t responsible for what he choses to do, but they ARE responsible for their own judgment and character.
Or lack thereof.
He did not threaten Bonnie’s person. Only her campaign, he is a bulldog you know. And they stop at nothing. So all you liberal twits can get over it. I am sure Bonnie will stop at nothing to defeat Jeff and VB. Its all she got.
I see after the long damage control meeting today Richard and Matt decided to try and flip it back on Bonnie. Sorry It’s not going to work, this is all on you.
“I am sure Bonnie will stop at nothing to defeat Jeff and VB. Its all she got.”
Well I will at least give Bonnie credit for not having someone in a high position on her campaign team who would at some point during the campaign be making juvenile threatening and easily traceable calls to Virginia’s campaign HQ’s.
Eric at 8:27 not so much the HQ but the orbiting death star, Lord Vader errr Matthew is barking orders.
I think thats the correct imagery.
This whole thread: What a great way to celebrate Mother’s Day.
It was well known Chris was responsible for the removal of a lot of Boonie signs and putting up Bass signs in their place. That was bad, but when he started following Bonnie and then made that ill advised phone call he stepped way over the line.
Matt Owen was aware of the mischief with the signs and probably should have stepped in at that point but failed to do so.
Matt should apologize for this unfortunate behavior on the part of someone who was more than just a supporter but was a bit of a campaign worker. This is the right thing to do and would defuse this in a heartbeat.
I would like to believe Matthew Owen would handle this properly, but he suffers a little bit from Delusions of Grandeur himself.
I may have missed some things in this exchange of (so many!) comments – and if I’m repeating, I apologize. Someone, a while back, said Larry managed Chris well in his contributions to his campaign and, knowing Chris, that is undoubtedly true…but maybe not so easy. Chris is an enthusiastic person who wants to be 100% involved – keeping him reigned in is important but a challenge.
I don’t really see anything underhanded in Virginia and Matt letting Chris help out in their campaign. Conversely, I think they were trying to be nice and it has now backfired. That said, I don’t know how all this came out – but I really don’t see Bonnie capitalizing on this unfortunate situation. Btw, I am a Bonnie fan.
All in all, I think this reflects poorly on those who would make more of it than it is, which is basically a sad situation.
This started as a suggestion that the theft of over 200 of Bonnie’s signs should be investigated and stopped. Sure there are always a few pranks and a few souveneer hunters but over 200 signs suggests a targeted campaign. I wrote to Heraldo about the signs and included the information that an unnamed person was alledgedly issueing threats to Bonnie. Some simple computer work easily identified the alleged perpetrator. It was NOT Bonnie or any member of her campaign. It was good investigative reporting.
Good work again, H.
Sorry, all you conspiracy fans. Unacceptable behavior is…well…unacceptable!
Which brings is back to who is the bigger boob, Matthew or Chris?
Hmmm…10:13…may be a question, but not the point here, imo. I would not fault Matt or Virginia in this. I think they were kind to Chris and it just did not turn out well. I think Bonnie will agree, when all the circumstances are known. Too bad it became a source of all this discussion. Not that it isn’t noteworthy but my heart goes out to all who are now impacted. There is no way out of this that doesn’t cause pain.
Take your choice.
Finally we are getting some intelligent dialog here. I guess all the conspiracy theory folks have gone to bed.
“all you liberal twits can get over it.”
Politics, Humboldt style. It’s like an alternate reality. Come look:
Someone makes a threat against a candidate, possibly after having followed the candidate in a truck while the candidate walks the district.
The daily newspaper ignores it.
A blog posts it, including audio, with the assertion that it was a particular person.
First, the response is that there’s no proof it was that particular person.
Then, that person allegedly has a mental illness (and so this should be no big deal).
Then, that anyone who thinks that threats against a candidate matter obviously has no respect for persons with disabilities.
Then, that a commenter who says the offending campaign should apologize is using McCarthyesque tactics — “have you no decency?!”
Then, that the target of the threatening language has a lot of nerve telling the blog.
Finally, someone accidentally and clearly summarizes the attitude of Eureka’s good ol’ boy network: “[s]o all you liberal twits can get over it.”
Mitch! Ha! That was hilarious.
What’s next? Conspiracy that this was all set up by the Leonard campaign to discredit both opponents in one fell swoop?
Holmquist was paid by Arkley?
Tweet from Bonnie to Virginia declaring she’s justifiably pissed:
bonnieneely @VirginiaBass Bass campaigner (@holmquistc) threatens Bonnie: http://wp.me/p5kWm-2XF (RT @Humboldt_Herald)
Virginia should bow out.
Anonymous should bow out, after he sobers up.
This is where blogging becomes nasty gossip. Anyone who lives in Eureka must have met Chris Holmquest or seen him around Old Town and he is a young kid and very sweet and like many young people probably confused about growing up, politics and all of that. I can’t believe a bunch of people are getting all excited about a voice mail and som;e losr campaign signs. Let’s ruin his life is what it sounds like to me. The people he is working for need to pull him in and train him in how he is supposed to promote his candidate. They need to teach him that dirty politics is a no no.
Somebody Who Knows Says
“Matt Owen was aware of the mischief with the signs and probably should have stepped in at that point but failed to do so.”
Probably? Let’s hope that statement above isn’t true.
That’s what I’m trying to wrap my head around… what I’ve seen of the guy (essentially a puppy) vs. what people are viciously claiming.
My puppy bites, it’s in his nature.
Caller ID is both easily spoofed and unblocked.
There are semi-legitimate reasons to do this such as getting one of those unlimited incoming call plans and spoofing your own number to avoid being charged for outgoing mobile calls.
Unspoofing a number is not possible although some information can be gained about the spoofer. The IP address of the spoofer is easy enough to get which is fairly useless given that most people clever enough to spoof a phone number are also clever enough to fudge a source IP. The only assurance you can get through this is if you already know what parameters the legitimate caller has.
CallerID is pretty fucking useless. Even when someone is calling me from blocked number and I see that they were trying to block their CallerID, I still don’t trust it as it could be a spoofed and blocked call.
Phreaking was so much easier in 80s y’all.
Chris is 25.
“I can’t believe a bunch of people are getting all excited about a voice mail and som;e losr campaign signs.”
The campaign sign issue may not be such a big deal if the Bass campaign team hadn’t made a blown out of proportion issue of busted and stolen signs.
Fact: He left the message.
Question: Why has he not been arrested?
I was following this thread yesterday, but now it’s well over 200 comments and I don’t have the stamina or time to read the whole thing. Can anyone tell me if the Bass campaign (M Bass or Softball or even Holmquist) has posted any comments?
Remember Lenny from “Of Mice and Men”?
Follow http://twitter.com/bonnieneely
She has acknowledged the madness, but thats all.
No, unless they did so anonymously.
What a whack job this gent is. Seems he’s taken down (most) all his online informational sites… except for his facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/holmquistc
Watch that vanish soon, when he can remember that he has one…
What an unwise move on the Bass camp to not officially distance themselves from people like this. I’ll be casting my vote for Jeff Leonard.
So they’re not denying it and they’re not owning it? Weak.
They can’t credibly deny it.
I went to high school with Holmquist. There’s a 100% chance that is him leaving the message.
# Anon Says:
May 10, 2010 at 7:40 am
Fact: He left the message.
Question: Why has he not been arrested?
Are you Fing serious?
Get over it. Heres a news flash: Our wonderful county is chalk full of wingnuts, from the left to the right. There is and never was a threat of violence. Stop perpetrating.
Come Virginia we all know your bigger than this mess Matthew has gotten you into. Step up, own up. Let’s put this embarrassment behind us.
From Facebook:
4th District Supervisor Bonnie Neely Thank you to Larry Glass and Linda Atkins for your support! Press conference today, 11am, foot of D street on the waterfront.
11 minutes ago · Comment · Like
Carol Ann Conners likes this.
Chris Kerrigan I’ll be there in spirit. Congrats!
10 minutes ago
The Bass camp’s strategy to somehow spin this to cloud
Bonnie Neeley’s reputation proves their ignorance.
They are a pathetic group of whiners. Shaking their
little fists and stamping their little feet won’t work
here.
Press conference rain out….rescheduled tomorrow at 12 noon.
I think Virginia should fire her campain manager. But what does she do with the husband? I guess she’s stuck with him. I just hope the public dosen’t get stuck.
What a mother’s day gift from Heraldo. Sad beyond belief. This is most scathing, hurtful none productive post ever. And the lowest, because you all know Chris and realize he has issues.
And the people spinning this as Bonnie’s fault? That is just a travesty. She did not ask for these things to happen to her. She is the victim!
Take down the post Heraldo. Please.
Don’t despair for the Bass campaign. Everybody was prepared for Bonnie’s reputation for dirty negative campaigns is well known.
Attacking a DD kid through this phoney controversy is nothing compared to what she will be doing next. Annon 7.40am, Betty & Neely’s other minions have been busy planning for months.
And Heraldo, your title for this topic is dishonest & unfeeling. Chris did not threaten Bonnie, he threatened her campaign. Shame on you.
An apology from Chris might help.
In HIFI’s world, I guess stalking and yelling at someone on the street isn’t threatening.
HiFi creates his own reality.
You don’t get arrested for a threatening comment – especially ones that can be interpreted various ways. But, people routinely obtain restraining orders when people write or publicaly state things such as, “I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t…” “I’ll taop at nothing…” etc. So the truth is somewhere between Anon. 7:40s – arrest them, and HiFi’s no big deal. These types of comments are taken seriously by a judge and Neely could likely obtain a restraining order based on the phone message. If he made them after an order was put in place, he could then be arrested. It is unlikely she would go through the hassle of this process.
Meanwhile, not a peep from the Bass campaign. They seem to be failing politics 101 – “get ahead of an issue so you can move on and get back to your message”
well, I really want to believe Virgina’s message, before all of these problems and continual lies and threats she was my gal. Now there is no way I would vote for her. Yes, seems they were just threats to Bonnie’s campaign but, What if that were your mother. I think as a family member I would be watching for some wack job trying to hurt my mom. there have been many people killed by stalkers that were harmless in others eyes. Shouldn’t Virginia come out and say that this guy was wrong and he and I are giving a public apology to everyone involved. He will not be working on my campaign and I’m truly sorry for this. She also should say that there is no way I’m a Democrat and to prove it, all of the staunch republican conservatives are backing me. Well here is one conservative that isn’t backing her anymore. This thing has gotten way out of hand. I just want a candidate I can believe and trust. Sorry guys but my vote is going to bonnie
Anon 1 at 10:48 wrote,
“What if that were your mother.”
Exactly.
Perhaps Anon 1, Virginia is more caring about a slightly disabled young man who went over the line in his enthusiasm.
A more hard-hearted person, like you for example, would throw the kid under the bus first, without checking on what all the facts are. This all broke only 24 hours ago.
Where is the compassion from the left? I spoke to Chris last Thursday night & he was all excited about the race. He even told me he wants to run for office some day. I felt sorry for him that night & I feel even worse for him today. The wrong moves now could scar him for life.
Is this race that important to you, the left and to Neely that you would ruin him in order to win ?
Hifi,
If that’s compassion you are showing, I’m delighted, and I’m happy for you.
I’m not seeing anyone who wants to hurt the campaign worker, let alone throw anyone under the bus. The campaign worker has hurt himself and his campaign.
What I am seeing is a set of people of varying political persuasions who are surprised and upset.
Surprised and upset that a candidate does not immediately see the importance of removing someone from their campaign when that person’s comments (and possibly additional behavior) can be interpreted by reasonable people as a threat.
Surprised and upset that no apology has been issued.
Surprised and upset that a group of commenters are rushing to blame the victim.
There is no doubt in my mind that the right move for the campaign worker — for himself, for his candidate, and for the County — is to remove himself from the campaign. There will be others.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/07/1217702203955.html
Sorry,
“A son with Asperger’s syndrome who stabbed his mother 57 times has been set free after 22 months in jail.
Glen Malcolm Porritt, 23, was found guilty in April of the manslaughter of his mother, Nanette Porritt, at the family’s Canberra home in December 2005.
ACT Supreme Court Chief Justice Terrence Higgins today sentenced Porritt to five years’ jail, with a 22-month minimum term.
The sentence started on the day Porritt was taken into custody on October 7, 2006, and therefore he was due to be released today, Justice Higgins said.
The sentence was “more severe than any other sentence for unlawful homicide” in the cases he had cited.
The explanation for Porritt “tragically misreading the cues his mother gave him on December 21, 2005″ was that he was later found to be suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.
Porritt was found not guilty of murder because Justice Higgins was not satisfied Porritt had intended to kill his mother or had been recklessly indifferent to the probability of her dying.
Ms Porritt died after she picked up a knife following a heated argument and told her estranged son to leave the family home.
Porritt then disarmed his mother and inflicted 57 stab wounds on her face, neck and chest.
He has since admitted what he did was wrong.
During sentencing submissions in June, it was revealed he told his probation and parole officer: “I should have left the house when she asked me to. I didn’t. I’m responsible.”
People with these issues can be even more dangerous as they have difficulty controlling themselves.
As Mitch said, the Bass campaign is making a huge mistake by not publicly apologizing to Bonnie and declaring that this behavior cannot be tolerated, and that this individual will no longer be a part of their campaign.
Instead, they have obviously (judging by 240+ posts above and no apology or official statement of values/remorse) decided to try to twist this as somehow “Bonnie’s fault.”
How sad, and evidence of terrible judgment on their part. Matthew Owen and Richard Marks: are you reading this? Can you see your voters beginning to jump off the campaign bus like rats from a sinking ship?
This is a foreshadowing of a loss in November by Virginia. Richard, wanna still make that $500 bet?
I do feel for this young man..The first step to recovery is admitting you have made a mistake. I have made mistakes in my life, many but, there were times when as tough as it may be I had to apologize for my actions, especially when it involved other people. Why is this hard? We all just want the truth and real people running our city and county. Is all this positioning necessary? Just stand for something and speak up and tell the truth! PLEASE? The longer it takes Virginia the more votes like me she is losing. Bonnie should be able to sleep at night not thinking about a somewhat handicapped you man physically abuse her or perhaps kill her. It doesn’t seem fair for both sides but, Threatening a public official we all cant stand for..
Sorry,
“A son with Asperger’s syndrome who stabbed his mother 57 times has been set free after 22 months in jail… etc.”
Really. Was that necessary?
In one of his most famous movies, John Wayne said “Never complain, never explain.”
I suggest that would be Chris’s most sensible course of action right about now.
Until and unless he is compelled to testify by a judge in a court of law, of course.
Am I to understand this correctly?
Before aa move can be called foul we have to assume the but head has a disability and then disregard the move. What kind of nitwit idea is that?
I the criminal context a disability defense (insanity, mental disability, etc.) is an “affirmative defense.” Meaning, the accused must raise the issue if they want it used in their defense. Therefore, I refuse to let anyone hide behind a supposed Asperger’s diagnosis unless they 1)admit to the actual act in question; and 2) assert and prove that they both suffer from Asperger’s and that it had in some way caused the behavior.
Now. Those that are hooked. Did he leave the message or not. Make with the facts.
The Bass campaign won’t apologize. From the top down they have no common sense and no class.
Forget John Wayne. That was just a movie and what he said wasn’t very bright.
Here’s something nobody has mentioned so far. Chris is a big man. He stands over six feet high, by my eyeball estimate, and he probably weighs 240 pounds.
Look at him in person and tell me you wouldn’t be scared if you thought he was angry with you or had made a threat against you.
Forget John Wayne. That was just a movie and what he said wasn’t very bright.
He was pretty cool in The Searchers though. And the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was a good movie. Also the Long Voyage Home, where he played a naive Swedish ocean liner crewman – way out of character. And his best role was of course Rooster Cogburn, though Katherine Hepburn really carried it.
On the other hand, I don’t think he was right for the Liberty Valance movie. They needed someone more brooding, like Burt Lancaster, or even Coburn, who played Liberty Valance.
Mostly he just played John Wayne.
El Dorado is my sentimental favorite.
Why does HiFi and others assume Chris has Aspergers or anything else? There has been NO evidence presented anywhere on this blog to prove that point.
Chris is a good size fellow. Bonnie is not very big. It is easy to see why she’d be frightened when Chris repeatedly drove his (identified) truck past her while shouting threats to her and her campaign.
Chris and his two rather strange buddies where tabling with Virginia at Arts Alive. They appeared to know each other reasonably well. Chris screwed up. Regardless of the legal outcome, Virginia should remove him from her campaign and make a public apology to Bonnie. If she does not, she will be clearly demonstrating the kind of attention and respect we could expect if she were elected. HA!
Vote for Bonnie. She makes sense!
I don’t care if he is a nut job! Like everyone else, he must follow the rules! If you don’t like who is running for office – vote for the other person! If he is working for you & he steps over the line – you are going to take the heat – that is the real world! Virgina needs to step up to plate & put a leash on this guy.
What about True Grit? What about The Cowboys? What about Stagecoach? What about Hondo? What about The Sons of Katie Elder? What about The Shootist?
What about we get back to the subject at hand?
John Wayne was lame. The hero of wannabe tough guys. Someone who bought into and helped popularize all the myths that masked the genocide of the Indians to “win the West.”
Eric, frankly I’m surprised you’re a fan. Perhaps I should reconsider where you’re coming from.
Richard Marks…Virginia Bass…where ARE you?
Given how excited you were about the alleged removal of campaign signs, aren’t you going to make SOME kind of statement about the stalking/threatening of Bonnie Neeley by one of your campaign volunteers?
And Chris Holmquist…if you’re reading this…you DO owe Bonnie Neeley an apology.
Richard, Matthew and Virginia don’t get it. If they did, they would have posted credible reasons to vote for her a long time ago. The fact is, there are none.
I think the foam coming out of their mouths in their zeal to attack Bonnie has obscured their collective vision.
What about “The quiet man” Eric? Wayne”s character was someone who after killing a man in the ring, quit boxing and moved to Ireland only to have Maureen O’Sullivan shame him into fighting her brother all over the bonny bonny meads of old Eire.
John Wayne was lame. The hero of wannabe tough guys. Someone who bought into and helped popularize all the myths that masked the genocide of the Indians to “win the West.”
Eric, frankly I’m surprised you’re a fan. Perhaps I should reconsider where you’re coming from.
He had plenty of stinkers. But he also played in some great films. The Searchers was a John Ford film, and where the morality was often black and white in his films, everything was clouded with gray in that one. His character had a dark side not usually associated with his characters.
As for the genocide of Indians in his movies, that’s kind of a blanket comment which reflects a facile understanding of history, both of the US and film.
Wayne’s politics were pretty right wing, and he had some pretty provincial attitudes. But the problem is that because he played caricatures, you and many others make his life out to be one. He had some talent, and he played in some excellent movies.
Ed – haven’t seen that one.
It turns out that I have two John Wayne movies on my top 10 list.
http://kunsoo1024.wordpress.com/2006/09/08/top-10-westerns/
Indians killed plenty of innocent white people.
Of course, the best western finale ever sort of applies as imagery for several local races this year. In each, whom is represented by the good, bad, and ugly?
http://kunsoo1024.wordpress.com/2009/02/08/ending-the-weekend-with-the-best-western-finale-in-cinema/
I’m surprised you didn’t include “The Outlaw Josie Wales” Eric.
3:23,
Bravo.
Desperate to escape the subject at hand, Ed, Eric, and others seek refuge in the folds of the huge garments that clothe an iconic giant of American life – John Wayne.
John Wayne – whose giant iconic films will never die – in spite of his steadfast and baffling support of the unwinnable War in Vietnam.
And Ed, that was Clint Eastwood, not John Wayne, in “The Outlaw Josie Wales.” How could you not know that?
Now, enough comic relief! Let’s get back to business! Has anyone apologized yet? Has anyone withdrawn from the race?
I apologize.
Me too.
Mitch, Thank you! 3:23.
FoamWatch: Still frothin’.
No apology in sight.
I’ll bet Chris Holmquist is getting ready to go out tonight to steal more Bonnie signs.
“I’ll bet Chris Holmquist is getting ready to go out tonight to steal more Bonnie signs.”
I very much doubt it. My guess is that his activities on behalf of the Bass campaign are at an end.
But it sure would be nice to hear that directly from the Bass campaign.
That’s his voice.
“The Bass campaign won’t apologize.”
I predict that they will put something out somewhere tomorrow.Chris was well involved in the campaign and was given a vital role,and I would imagine that team Bass has spent the past few days both dealing with him and dealing with whomever could be taking on his duties.
Any bets on which of Chris’s arts alive tabling friends now have the missing 200 Bonny signs in their garages?
Until and unless the “mainstream media” reports on this, or there is a police report, the Bass campaign will ignore it. Meanwhile, I wonder how much schadenfreude Jeff is partaking in?
bass’s apology: “i’m sorry chris is lame and left a rude message.” would that make people feel better? you guys really this worked up over this call.
The Bass campaign apologizing on the Heraldo blog is comparable to PETA activists apologizing at the NRA national headquarters.
So, if Bass resigns from the race, will her supporters go to Bonnie or to Jeff?
How about if Virginia were to at least go this far:
“I regret that one of my volunteers has apparently made a rude and threatening phone call to my opponent Bonnie Neeley, and has also apparently harassed and shouted at her in public. I have asked this volunteer to take responsibility for his actions, to apologize to Ms. Neeley, and to refrain from any similar harassment in the future.
I want to make it clear that I do not in any way support or condone these sorts of activities in support of my campaign. For that reason, this person will no longer be part of my campaign organization going forward.
oh, it’s definitely his voice. no question about that.
reasonable anonymous, that was incredibly eloquent. But way more thoughtful and principled than what generally flows out of Virginia’s mouth.
4:35 – They don’t have to apologize “on this blog” but perhaps on their websites, as well as directly to Bonnie Neeley.
At this point, the silence from the Bass campaign is a further embarassment, implying that either they think the threatenting/harassing/stalking type behaviors we’re O.K. (not likely in my opinion) or that they just don’t much care (quite possible), or that they just are in chaos and can’t agree on how to respond (also possible, I suppose), or that they think that responding with an apologetic statement will just add fuel to the fire.
I think that last one is the most likely scenario — and that they just don’t want to lose face and/or admit wrongdoing by their associate, and/or admit that they may have shown poor judgement in giving him any position of responsibility in their campaign.
So, they are shitting their pants, then?
Thanks, 4:52.
And to Marks and Bass, you’re welcome to use these very words, free of charge!
Definitely the last one. What they’re debating right now is the liklihood that the T-S or NC Journal will do a story on it, giving it legs and making their current bet a losing one.
A very BIG losing one.
Bulldog? I think he picked the wrong breed. How about pit bull or German shepherd?
i have a scenario for you reasonable: like me, the bass campaign does not care. i think the phone call speaks poorly on the individual who made the call but it wasn’t threatening anything other than beating bonnie in the election. it’s basic shit talking. seems juvenile but no big deal unless you are looking for something to be offended and upset by.
is that what you are looking for reasonable? if so, maybe respond with unreasonable anonymous and tell me why this is such a big, pivotal issue.
It’s Bullygate!
And here’s my take on how Bonnie Neeley ought to repond if she receives such a message from Bass, and an appropriate apology from the stalker/shouter/threatener/harrasser himself:
“Today I received an apology from the individual who had left an inappropriate message on my voice mail several days ago. He apologized for leaving a message stating that he would “stop at nothing” to destroy my campaign, and for previously following and harrassing me in public. He accepts that his words and actions could reasonably be construed as threatenting, and he has promnised to refrain from this sort of activity in the future. I have accepted his apology, and it is my hope that with proper guidance from his friends and family, he will be able to learn from these misstakes and emerge from this situation as a better person.
I also received a statement from Virginia Bass in which she expresses her regret that this incident has taken place, and makes it clear that she and her campaign do not support or condone any such behavior by their volunteers or supporters. I have no doubt that the actions of this one overzealous volunteer were not planned nor supported by Ms. Bass or her campaign staff, and I appreciate her taking action to disaccociate herself from such inappropriate activities. I agree with Ms. Bass that such actions have no place in our democratic system, and I encourage my own supporters and volunteers to adhere to the highest standards or integrity, especially when representing my campaign.
Having received an apology from the individual in question, I consider the matter closed, and I look forward to moving past this and focusing on the issues that matter to Humboldt County residents and 4th district voters.
Reasonable anonymous, if you haven’t already been a campaign manager or a press secretary to an elected representative, you should look for such a job. You would kick ass.
The Bass campaign apologizing on the Heraldo blog is comparable to PETA activists apologizing at the NRA national headquarters.
We have a few down here in Sohum who could easily be members of both.
I’m surprised you didn’t include “The Outlaw Josie Wales” Eric.
Wasn’t my favorite actually. But I would now add My Name is Nobody and probably replace Stagecoach with it.
However, a runner up would have been Three Mules for Sister Sara. Just didn’t make it in my top 10.
“Truth Speaker”
It’s NOT a huge issue, it’s a small embarrassment tot he Bass campaign that would easily go away if (1) the perpetrator would just swallow his pride and issue an apology, and if (2) the Bass campaign would simply make a statement regretting that this incident happened and distancing themselves from the guy who did it. It’s not even necessary for the campaign to take responsibility for the individual’s actions, they just need to deplore and regret his actions (or whatever words they want to use). But not making ANY statement leaves it open to the interpretation that they don’t care about these sorts of “immature” and/or thuggish actions, and therefore they wouldn’t care if other supporters/volunteers act similarly.
[By the way, if it was JUST the one phone call, I might see it a bit differently, but it sounds like there was a pattern of escalating harassment leading up to that phone message.]
So no, it’s not a “big, pivotal issue.” More like a minor wound that would heal quickly if dealt with appropriately, but which might fester and becoome infected if not attended to properly. Worst case scenario, someone else involved in the Bass campaign takes their official silence to be a signal that it’s O.K. to do more of this kind of stuff, and somewhere down the line more of the same (or something worse) happens, and then the Bass campaign looks really bad for not nipping this in the bud.
So, they’re free to ignore it, but it’s a bit risky. On the other hand, they could pretty easily put the whole thing to bed with a brief statement from Ms Bass (assuming that the perpetrator himself is ready to assume responsibility for his actions and to apologize directly ot Neeley).
Finally, it would be a bit strange if those who were all worked up about the (alleged) removal of some Bass lawn signs would simultaneously think that direct threatening/harassing of an opposing candidate by someone who was an active volunteer on the Bass campaign is “no big deal.” I guess that’s the old double standard at work.
“Pull the file on the State of Denial:
Hypocrisy… is the greatest Luxury
Raise the double-standard…”
– Michael Franti / Disposable Heroes of HipHoprisy.
Eric, I think discussion of John Wayne would be more apropos on your own blog. You continue to redirect this thread away from the important discussion that is occuring, toward a topic that is completely unrelated and more than a bit self-indulgent.
The mystery is solved. All those villages that are
missing their village idiots, should look here.
This thread just hit 300 posts in just under 18 hours.
Bravo, Heraldo!
Heraldo’s still the king, four years running.
Lapped every contender, ten times over.
O.K. Watchful Eurekan, I guess I should TRY to take that as a compliment. ;)
I’ve never been a campaign manager or official campaign spokesperson. I have been involved as a volunteer and occasionally as a paid consultant in political and policy advocacy campaigns a few times in the not-so-distant past.
The thing is, people who serve in the top campaign roles are ususally either total true believers / partisan soldiers, or willing to pretend that they are for the duration of the campaign. Their candidate is courageous, heroic, highly competent, and basically right about everything, while the other candidate is wrong about everything as well as being totally incompetent, corrupt and/or evil. Everything is pretty black and white, or maybe I should say red and blue.
I’m not a true believer / partisan soldier, nor an I willing to “fake it” and so in general the electoral campaign milieu is not an environment that I enjoy or flourish in. At this point I will only take part in politics as a volunteer, and I’m pretty selective about when and where I choose to take part.
But thanks again for what I assume was intended as a compliment.
It most certainly was.
You continue to redirect this thread away from the important discussion that is occuring
I’m trying my best. I think the discussion has become quite destructive.
It’s laughable that you think this thread is an important discussion. You folks need to get a life and put what’s an “important discussion” into perspective. Bumpkins!
Well, I think SOME of the comments on this thread have been rather inappropriate. But I’ll stand by my own contributions, which mostly point to how this incident could and should be handled:
(1) A direct apology to Bonnie from the guy who has done the harrassing and left the inappropriate and potentially threatening message.
(2) A statement from the Virginia Bass, expressing regret that one of her volunteers had acted this way, and making it clear that she doesn’t condone such actions.
(3) A statement from Bonnie Neeley accepting the apology from the offending individual, acknowledging and expressing appreciation for the statement from Bass, and declaring the matter closed.
What would be wrong with that?
lol
Eric, Past age 12 or so I was never much for westerns though of course one could not grow up in my era without being impacted by the Duke. Swashbucklers and midievil adventures were more my speed. Errol Flynn was a childhood hero and Basil Rathbone my favorite villian.
Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood was interesting for its anti-foreign war politics, though someone once told me that Flynn was something of a pro-fascist.
Of course, Basil Rathbone, who once slept at the Benbow Inn, was the best Sherlock Holmes ever.
Reasonable Anonymous – I fully agree with your take on what kind of statement Bonnie should release – and with Watchful Eurekan’s “compliment.” Also, I think you’re right that it would be prudent for the Bass campaign to address the the situation – publicly if this moves beyond blog-land and, obviously, with an apology to Bonnie.
I posted here earlier because I’m acquainted with Chris from his school days and I still believe this is a case of enthusiasm run amuck. I feel that Chris’s involvement in the Bass campaign, not to minimize the fact that he was probably very helpful in certain areas, was also about kindness and acceptance – which backfired. Still, not as big of an issue as some would like to make it.
okay, regardless as to what the message was and whether or not it was a direct threat, i’ve known this guy for years and he is dangerous.
yes, he has some sort of disability (hang out with him for five minutes and that much is apparent), and most of the time, he is perfectly harmless. however, he does have a temper, and due to whatever disability he has, his boundaries are sadly limited.
say what you want about neely and/or bass. the issue here is not political; the issue is one of a young man stalking and verbally harassing a woman. the reasons for said phone call may be political, but it’s deeper than that. no one brainwashed him; no one forced him to make that call. he did what he did, and no matter what the circumstances are, not to take it seriously would be a mistake.
there have to be consequences for any action, whether there’s a disability involved or not. for the same reason i wouldn’t allow my rabid dog on the street, i wouldn’t allow someone with that degree of anger out on the street.
in conclusion, i’m not going to let this sway my vote one way or another. i will, however, be more careful in my interactions with this individual in the future, and would encourage all others to do the same.
I can see it now. Errol Flynn starring as “Jeffy” in the new hit “The Ten Best EIRS”. Maybe Charlton Hestion could play Tyson?
Sorry, that’s “Heston”
In 3D, at least.
I think the “rabid dog” comparison is WAY over the top. Also, if this fellow is fine 99.99% of the time, and even at his worst this is the most damage that he’s done (not really all that much), then there is little choice about whether he should be “out on the street” as opposed to somehow locked up, if that’s what you meant. On the other hand, I wouldn’t put him “out on the street” to represent a political candidate to the public. At least not anytime in the near future!
And Nigel Bruce the best Watson. I recall there was a Sherlock Holmes show every week on a local station in L.A. A simpler time.
I have to admit that the anti war aspects of Robin Hood had totally eluded me and to be totally truthful still kind of do now. It does remind me of why we are often, but hardly always on opposit sides.
I recently heard Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner) speak and the one of his comments that truly struck me was the “sometimes a story is only a story with no inner meaning or truth. Sometimes they are just pretty words on a page and a way to pass the time.”
I believe there was a point to Robin Hood but perhaps not so deep as we might think.
6:39,
I’m pretty sure that if the guy apologized, and Virginia issued a statement along the lines of what I suggested above, Bonnie would soon follow with a statement similar to what I outlined above. It’s more or less the natural sequence of things when a supporter of one campaign does something embarassing, inappriopriate, and uncivil. The person who did the inappropriate thing apologizes, the campaign they were associated with expresses regret and makes it clear that the inappropriate behavior isn’t condoned, and the offended candidate accepts the apology and the regrets and soon the story dies away.
The problem, at this point, is that we’re all waiting to hear the acknowledgement from Holmquist that he was the offending party and that he apologizes for his actions.
Then Bass can make her statement of regret. But until the guy apologizes and takes responsibility, Bass is in an awkward position.
And Neeley has to wait for Holmquist and Bass to do the right thing. She can’t accept an apology that she has not yet received.
At this point the ball is in Holmquist’s court. He needs to step up and admit his mistake, and then the rest of the “apology / statement of regret / apology acceptance” process will commence, and the issue will soon dissipate.
Yes, I too have known Chris Holmquist for years, and what 6:45 just said is strikingly true.
He stands over 6 feet tall and has to weigh 230-240, as mentioned above. He is a very big guy and could very understandably be perceived to be a threat to anyone his size or smaller.
Because Eric Kirk doesn’t live in Eureka and understand this fact, he attempts to hijack a threat and talk about John Wayne.
Fact: Chris Holmquist drove slowly down a very quiet residential street and verbally abused Bonnie Neely. When he turned around at the end to come back, Bonnie got out her cell phone and called her campaign manager to come pick her up (I spoke to her about this). She was scared. Physically afraid. Eric, this is serious. I’m surprised that you, an attorney, do not think this is as serious a thing as it is.
Yes, perhaps Bonnie should have called the sheriff (It was just outside city limits, so the EPD did not have jurisdiction). I would’ve.
But the fact that the Bass campaign has not apologized and publicly issued a statement is despicable, and a poor display of ethics.
Good analyses Reasonable, unfortunately the Bass camp may not make an admission of wrongdoing. That may be as likely as one from say the mirror.
Again, I don’t think the Bass camp necessarily needs to admit “wrongdoing” (unless Virginia or her campaign staff had initiated or approved his action, and I have no reason to believe they did).
But Bass and/or her campaign manager do need to express regret that someone involved with their campaign behaved this way, and they must make it clear that they have not and will not condone any such actions by their volunteers. Not because it’s “their fault” but because that is how we keep things civil: when someone acts uncivil, they are reprimanded, need to apologize, and “their” candidate disavows their actions.
As far as responsibility for the actual incidents, I think at most you could say that Bass and Marks may have shown poor judgement by giving this fellow too much repsonsibility with not enough oversight.
But hindsight is always 20/20 and perhaps given his generally amiable personality, it was not all that easy to predict that Chris might do something like this. Not knowing him well enough, it’s hard for me to judge whether Bass and/or Marks “should have known” that this sort of thing might happen.
But at this point, Marks and Bass are certainly responsible for how they handle their response to these events…and so far their only public response has been complete silence on the issue. Not very promising.
LMAO at the couple of posters who have somehow wandered to this pro-Bonnie blog and posted that this incident has caused them to drop their support of Virginia Bass and now support Bonnie Neely.
Believe that and I have a bridge just north of Fortuna that I have for sale.
Right 7:44, because Bass supporters don’t care about threats or stalking. They just want their puppet in place and Neely off the CCC. Decent people, however, do care about such things in a political campaign and will watch to see how Bass handles this. So far, not looking too good.
The incident, of course, is unfortunate. If it was one of Bonnie’s street fighters, Heraldo would simply ignore it as it doesn’t suit his slanted agenda. Heraldo cannot be accused of being even-handed…
But that doesn’t stop people from reading and participating in the blog, does it?
Now there’s an even-handed statement.
He’s not pretending to be even-handed.
Neither should you.
This whole thread is a hoot!
Shall we try for 400?
I had the misfortune of working with Chris Holmquist. This guy is a creep all the way and a sleazy P.O.S.
He will slander and libel anyone to make his point.
Nail him to the full extent.
This guy is over six feet and well over 200 lbs. Numerous posts above discuss his psychological instability.
Bonnie Neely is a slight woman over sixty.
Anyone who doesn’t understand the threat aspect of this incident, in my mind, is on crack.
Eric, this is serious. I’m surprised that you, an attorney, do not think this is as serious a thing as it is.
I take it very seriously. I simply think that this thread lost all productive usefulness about 300 posts ago. The proverbial horse is deader than dead.
Excuse me: I meant to say “grouping of incidents.” The verbal abuse on a pedestrian, while driving slowly down the street, THEN TURNING AROUND TO COME BACK, was the creepy straw that broke the camel’s back for me. That pushed Holmquist into the realm of genuine potential physical threat.
Frankly, it is sad and bewildering to me that so many posts above are minimizing this.
Perhaps, Eric Kirk, you’re dismissive of this thread because you usually have few–if any–comments about the posts on your personal blog.
I would agree with those saying it shouldn’t be made into a big deal if it wasn’t for the fact that team Bass jumped out and made a huge deal about signs being reportedly stolen or vandalized,even offering a $500 reward,only to in turn have the head sign guy on team Bass telling Bonnie that there isn’t a thing he wouldn’t do to destroy her campaign.
So,if what comes out of this is that Chris H. was responsible for that vandalism,does heraldo get the $500?Or who would?
Eric Kirk’s blog has 5.125 average comments per post over the last 8 posts. 335 comments here must seem like millions to poor, unread Eric.
Eric purposefully made changes to his blog that resulted in lower comments. Ask him if he regrets it.
9:54, the idea that Kirk is suffering from “comment envy” is pretty ridiculous. I don’t get the sense that he’s looking for huge comment traffic on his blog. He just has a different take on this series of incidents, and how it has been discussed on this thread. So what? He’s entitled to his opinion, too, and we don’t have to come up with pseudopsychological explanations stemming from comment envy.
Yes, you caught me. My whole problem with this thread is that I’m jealous of Heraldo’s comment traffic. It makes my blood boil! I can’t contain my anger!
Hep me anonymous 9:54! What can I do for redemption and salvation?!! There must be a way!
I mean, with your brilliant insight into my mind’s workings, I assume you’ve got some sort of professional license for therapy. Can I hire you to make me all better?
There is no correlation between the number of comments and readership levels, particularly on this blog where there is a great deal of back-and-forth between individuals producing a high number of comments.
Eric, you seem to be squirming.
No Anonymous. I just wish you could have been my Daddy. Then maybe I wouldn’t be so mixed up!
heraldo-good work! thanks for sticking to your principles and keeping the story posted.
Actually 11:28, he’s having fun at your expense and you don’t even know it.
from “watchfuleurekam”:”Excuse me: I meant to say “grouping of incidents.” The verbal abuse on a pedestrian, while driving slowly down the street, THEN TURNING AROUND TO COME BACK, was the creepy straw that broke the camel’s back for me. That pushed Holmquist into the realm of genuine potential physical threat.
Frankly, it is sad and bewildering to me that so many posts above are minimizing this.”
********************************************************
i agree completely.this is the most pertinent issue and a very good reason to support heraldo in keeping this story posted.
11:40 pm is squirming.
High Finance wrote:
P”erhaps Anon 1, Virginia is more caring about a slightly disabled young man who went over the line in his enthusiasm.
A more hard-hearted person, like you for example, would throw the kid under the bus first, without checking on what all the facts are. This all broke only 24 hours ago.
Where is the compassion from the left? I spoke to Chris last Thursday night & he was all excited about the race. He even told me he wants to run for office some day. I felt sorry for him that night & I feel even worse for him today. The wrong moves now could scar him for life.
Is this race that important to you, the left and to Neely that you would ruin him in order to win ?”
he ruined himself, asshat.
Citizens of Eureka,
Clearly you can no longer support Virginia Bass. She did not have the common sense to either prevent this incident or effectively apologize for it.
May I suggest Jeff Leonard? He’ll build the Marina Center faster than Virginia.
(sigh). This is one example of why so many normal people want nothing to do with politics. Ed Dionne was right.
Lets just have an American Gladiator-style Marina Building competition to settle this once and for all!
Chris does not even remember doing this. While it’s not entirely clear that Chris was actively taken advantage of, it is clear that he was not protected. Direct your comments to the party responsible for this mess. They have a website and several phone numbers.
In a democracy, people get the government they deserve.
It’s now been days since Heraldo posted evidence of thuggish behavior on behalf of a supervisorial campaign, and that campaign has not yet bothered to make a public response.
If you get a thuggish supervisor, there’ll be no reason to act surprised.
Eric Kirk goes for quality,not quantity.
Thank you Babushka, but my blog is also more self-indulgent about whatever I feel like writing about. Many times, nobody’s interested, or just a few people. But I do it to unwind and write about something besides law. Heraldo, the King of the local blogosphere, breaks stories of broad political interest, and everyone who wants to know what is happening in politics in Humboldt County comes here with their morning cup of coffee. My blog also focuses on issues of relevance to Sohum, which represents a small portion of Humboldt County, half of which are too luddite to even come to a blog. I think Heraldo provides a great service. But this thread has become like a pack of hyenas tearing up a wounded wildebeest. I wish you could get 300 posts in a discussion about the GPU.
350 posts by 25 people not a lot of morning coffee drinkers? kind of lonesome ya think
Guess all you want. This post drove heavy traffic whether people commented or not.
Hear, hear. But even Virginia Bass hasn’t “really thought in detail about that.”
This guy IS also the self titled “Sun Valley Floral Farm Mole” who bashes and threatens the company on his pathetic blog. His parents should be curbing his actions since he lives with them and they claim he does have a disability.
Eric Kirk came here, took a reference from one of my posts to a statement in a John Wayne movie, and used it as a means of sabotaging this thread. Not a “class” action, Eric!
I remember now why I stopped reading Eric’s blog. It might be the reason his readership has dropped off. Something to do with his attitude. A superior attitude of some sort.
I see that attitude shining through his most recent comments in this thread. Sarcasm is a sharp tool but it cuts both ways.
I don’t think Chris is the Sun Valley Floral Farm Mole. I don’t believe Chris works for Sun Valley, or has ever worked there.
I’m pretty sure that the Mole is a guy named Ernest. On the day of Bonnie’s first Meet and Greet, he wrote on his blog that he planned to crash it (he is not a fan of Bonnie’s). That night, a fellow named Ernest showed up at the M&G and introduced himself as a guy who worked at Sun Valley. It wasn’t Chris.
I remember now why I stopped reading Eric’s blog. It might be the reason his readership has dropped off. Something to do with his attitude. A superior attitude of some sort.
Undoubtedly my superior attitude. That and the Reggae War’s end. But mostly my superior attitude.
But some people like my superior attitude!
I have spoke with Chris many times. That is defiantly him on that voice mail message. He does have a mental disability. He is always hanging around the Wharfinger building in Eureka. I’m sure if someone wanted to get his side of the story, they could easily find him there.
The Bass campaign (and Chris) should apologize and move on. Anyone who knows Chris knows that hes a good guy and means good, he just gets very excited and passionate about things.
Word is the North Coast Journal’s John Osborn is working on a story for their next edition with a statement from Ms. Bass.
They only did it after the Journal came to them and asked them for it?
Lame.
I am sure Camp Bass will eventually respond, but it is no surprise it is taking them a while. This has grave political implications and they need to work on their story to try to leverage maximum spin. It will interesting to see that spin, but my prediction is they will try to blame the victim (Bonnie), just as a few tried to do on this blog.
Where is Eric Kirk when you need him?
Couple of really simple questions that should have been disclosed up front.
Like what date and time was this recording left?
Where was this recording message left?
Why didn’t Neely call 911 if she felt threatened on the streets of Myrtletown?
Why didn’t Neely call the police right after she heard this recorded message on April 19 instead of waiting three weeeks (the weekend prior to absentee ballots being mailed)?
And most importantly, why didn’t Neely call Bass directly and deal with this like adults instead on leaking this weeks alter on an anonymous blog?
Inquirying minds want to know.
Mitch said “if you get a thuggish supervisor there will be no reason to act surprised”
Well no kidding! We’ve had a ‘thuggish Supervisor’ for at least the last 16 years! Bonnie doesnt respond to the needs of her constituents, Bonnie doesnt give a rats ass about working with the city of Eureka on projects the County and City have a joint interest in!
What is amazing is that Bonnie appealed to voters as long as she did-her time is Over. Either Jeff or Virginia can do a better job-Im still voting for Virginia who is too classy to get in the gutter with a bunch of caffeinated bloggers.
Where is Eric Kirk when you need him?
Eating donuts.
The Bass campaign is now in full damage-control mode. They are scurrying about, attempting to gather as much information as possible to smear Bonnie, the victim, as much as they can. Witness the two letters following “A Prediction.”
They gambled that this thing would just be confined to Heraldo, and go away quickly. It didn’t. It blew up on them. Now watch them fight like cornered rats.
Shame on you “Shame on You”. You have no idea what they are doing.
Or… maybe they are doing things behind the scenes to make things better for all parties involved?
The Bass campaign wants to know why Bonnie didn’t call them to “deal with it like adults.” Adults work there?
This from a campaign that has ignored the deafening roar of voices calling for any substantive reason to elect their candidate, Virginia Bass, preferring instead to attempt to reframe it at every turn to “attack Bonnie.” Now they come out to ask Bonnie why she didn’t trust them? To keep it hush-hush and “call them to deal with it like adults.”
Are they kidding?
Don’t kid yourself. Calling voices on here a deafening roar, is hilarious. Please beware the blogs are only a small fraction of the general population. Lets see, people have jobs to attend, fund raiser(from within the county), and “meet and greets”. Add to that the general dislike by a good amount of this blog of Virgina, are you really surprised not to see any reply on here? Can we see official/real response from Bonnie on here about the situation? There was commenter asking for Larry Glass to respond on here. That is more likely to happen, but hasn’t yet happened.
People are interested in a response — any response — from the Bass campaign. It doesn’t have to be posted here.
Well it is up to them.
No other media has yet covered it. I’m curious if they will.
BTW NAN, I did ask Hank about the Bass sign issue. Since you thought, the way you did. No response back, yet.
Chris is in fact the Sun Valley Floral Farm Mole. He worked there about a year and a half ago, and was let go. This is 100% true and verified. He displays the same kind of rhetoric and zeal for defeating the Floral Farm he thinks did him wrong.
I agree that Chris is the SVFF Mole. I also think he works(ed)delivering papers for the Journal. He really tries to be active in local politics and community events. Its sad that he made these harassing statements and actions, as he probably means no real harm. Where was the guidance by the campaign manager and his mentor/parents?
I am truly surprised that there has been no response whatsoever from the Bass campaign.
Usually Richard Marks is quite active in posting comments to Bass-related articles here on the Herald.
Note to Marks and Bass: However you decide to respond, you couldn’t do much worse than those commenting on this thread who seek to minimize or excuse the actions, or blame the victim.
If you’re having trouble finding the right words, you’re welcome to use those I suggested at 4:45 yesterday:
“I regret that one of my volunteers has apparently made a rude and threatening phone call to my opponent Bonnie Neeley, and has also apparently harassed and shouted at her in public. I have asked this volunteer to take responsibility for his actions, to apologize to Ms. Neeley, and to refrain from any similar harassment in the future.”
“I want to make it clear that I do not in any way support or condone these sorts of activities in support of my campaign. For that reason, this person will no longer be part of my campaign organization going forward.”
So we’re waiting for that kind of statement from the Bass Campaign, plus a straightforward apology from Chris.
Then Bonnie can accept the apology from Chris and express appreciation for the statement from the Bass campaign.
Then the issue will disappear.
It really isn’t that hard.
Nice work, “Reasonable Anonymous,” but “going forward” is redundant.
Although redundancy might be appropriate in this situation.
Where is the truthiness in all of this?
Everywhere, it seems.
What are the facts again? The voice is traced to a phone number linked to this guy. People identify his voice. When tagged, he shuts down his blog and disappears. That’s truth, right? The rest is truthiness?
Then the issue will disappear.
You really believe that? We’re nearly at 400 posts now. Some people are just getting warmed up!
At this point, all I care about is defending Chris Holmquist, whoever the hell that is.
That would be Nice.
So true, Sad But True @ 5:08 an Reasonable Anonymous @ 5:17. It would be nice to see this go away. Nearly 400 comments on this topic – craziness! (And I am one of the guilty parties, I know – though I’m pretty sure there are far more than 25 people posting, which someone suggested earlier.) Time for closure.
Issue? What “issue”? This isn’t an issue, its a tabloid buzz. A High School drama elevated in “revenge” for Marks’ idiotic “sign wars”.
The best way to support Neely in this to let her handle it as she decides, and has already done. Her decision to act deliberately and with restraint demonstrates her qualifications and judgement to retain office. Thank goodness she’s a candidate rather than the rabid posters here.
Heraldo: What is the record for number of comments on a post in the history of your blog? This is going to be comment 390 on this one.
The issue doesn’t have to “disappear” as it never appeared in the first place, except for here.
It looks like the rest of the media is showing class & compassion for an enthusiastic, but harmless, developmentally disabled kid who got carried away.
ack.
Who was it about 100 or so comments ago that said this thread was only 25 people making all these comments? I wouldn’t bet on that.
Don’t discount the fact that he is not a helpless person with no comprehension of his actions. He is competent enough to create blogs and interact with the public. His “disability” seems to be used as an excuse for his actions. He understood what he was doing in his attempt to bash Bonnie. I truly believe he didn’t realize the consequences and appropriateness. He needs a talking to by EPD to explain the seriousness. I feel sorry for Virginia that she was probably blindsided by this, but her campaign should have realized he is a loose cannon by his activities on the internet and in public. He worked for Glass(contradiction)and Marks without incident. So is this recent incident something to worry about? YES.
That’s what they say over at the Mirror. They have an inferiority complex over there.
The proof that Chris is the Sun Valley Floral Farm Mole:
Google Christopher Holmquist. The first link has the word Sun valley Floral in it. Clicking further,it has photos. One of him standing with Chris Kerrigan at a fundraising event at the Wharfinger Building. Proof and the Pudding.
Leave it alone. Move on, please!
sigh. never mind the man behind the mirror…
Eric, this would be a good time for Moon Dog Mayne to make an appearance.
400.
400…and still no comment by Richard Marks.
Probably thinking, “Ignore it and it will go away.”
check
You mean where dude entered Mr for his job title or where dude “used to be a former employee” at Sun Valley?
Now that you’re done outing dude, will I be able to remember in two months? I already forgot what Mole said in his blog. More than claiming to be fired for being white? I know people think that folks with the motivation to move all the way from Mexico to deep Alta California are driven people who will work harder and more diligently than a white boy. That’s prejudiced though. White people work hard at different things than actual work… Expressing themselves through bumper stickers, weekly bathing routines, trying to whiten their teeth, finding new foods to use mayonnaise/sour cream on, dominating the sports of frisbee and hacky sack… all kinna things white people work hard at.
I liked the Mole’s comments although I forget why. He spoke on some fascinating bullshit. Now y’all ruined it. He should come back and talk some more shit.
A Synopsis of the Thread So Far:
“Loose Cannon Campaign Worker Shouts Threats and Harasses Opposing Candidate”
“Other Side Says, ‘Nothing to See Here’”
“Folks Keep Talking About It”
“Bass Campaign Silent”
“Incident Continues to Evolve”
There he goes again with his shit talk. What an asshole Mr Nice is.
Virginia and Matt don’t give a dam about this. They could careless if Bonnie’s signs are being stolen. It’s continuing to happen tonight.
There’s not a quick way to check that but I think the most comments were posted on Desperately seeking Hedlund, Vilica which has 475 comments.
For some reason I just can’t but think it’s still Chris stealing them.
If he had a conscience, he would have logged on and said something by now.
Ten bucks says he’s putting one into the back of his hatchback as I speak.
“Proof and the Pudding.”
This expression is as misunderstood as “to beg the question.” The proof of the pudding, as the saying goes, is in the eating.
Sorry to interrupt the idle speculation and confident but baseless assertions.
If Eric thinks the thread is tired, he can stop reading. It is no excuse for clogging it up with John Wayne references. If others want to keep talking about it, please let them.
Don’t forget. John Wayne was the actor. He didn’t write the script.
Maybe Bass’s campaign is simply amoral. To them, the behavior in question may be something good, to be fostered and encouraged amongst our young…
Bass and amoral in the same sentence, yes I think you’re onto something there.
Textwrapper,
See, for example: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/397300.html
If Eric thinks the thread is tired, he can stop reading. It is no excuse for clogging it up with John Wayne references. If others want to keep talking about it, please let them.
It’s not that it’s tired. Tired is fine. I think it’s destructive.
Eric, this would be a good time for Moon Dog Mayne to make an appearance.
Boy, that brings up memories! He once ate a goldfish representing Pat Patterson. But I don’t want to hijack this evolved highbrow discussion.
Eric,
I’m mystified by your attitude here. “the reasonable anonymous” has written a Bass campaign press release for them. He’s pointed out, I think correctly, that a simple acknowledgement and apology would shut this right down.
Do you really think Eureka should just ignore this set of incidents, the way the daily newspaper has?
There’s a lot more information for voters from the lack of coverage and the lack of response than there was from Heraldo’s post.
But Ekovox does. He likes Virginia Bass because she’s a confirmed devotee of his “good ol’ boys GOOD, newcomers BAD” school of thought. You can see it in just about everything that comes out of his mouth or from his keyboard.
Apparently Eric supports Bass.
9:12,
That’s not obvious at all. You don’t let your candidate bleed out.
Eric Kirk’s shockingly poor judgment on this one, as well as his repeated attempts to hijack this thread, really make me question his overall thinking processes. Based on what I’ve seen here, if I needed an attorney, he’s the last one I would call.
All Viriginia had to do was sweet talk Eric just a little.
MEN………..
Hey, what’s the fuss all about? The 4th District needed a “henchman” too. Seems fair to me.
Read todays NCJ. John Obsborn reported publically (not from an anonymous blog) that this incident happened April 19th. Weeks ago. The Sheriffs department said there will be no investigation since no crimes were committed. (Does not justify the actions in any way though.) Virginia publically stated that the person in question is no longer involved in her campaign.
Neely’s campaign decided to wait until the day before the absentee ballots came out to try to get political traction. Campaign spokesperson Meghan vogel said the campaign initially did not know what to do with this information and said, “we figured the individual was acting on his own accord.” She also said she does not know how the Herald was leaked the information, even though Bonnie tweeted this information on twitter the same day, but since then her campaign eliminated that page from her web site after Osborn questioned them.
Andrew Bird is Heraldo?
Waiting to hear from NAN, turtle, Mitch, Heraldo, etc since this was old news, and taken care of long time ago. So much for the Bass campaign being amoral.
Wasn’t old news to any of us reading this blog.
It’s good that the Bass campaign is now on record saying that this individual no longer works with their campaign.
I haven’t seen the NCJ article yet. Did Chris Holmquist apologize for his behavior yet?
Apparently the oldness was left out of H’s rush to provoke Bass campaign.
What “the reasonable anonymous” said.
But if this was “taken care of a long time ago,” I simply don’t understand the Bass’ campaign’s refusal to say “the individual in question is no longer affiliated with this campaign.”
I could easily be wrong, but I have a feeling there’s more footwear about to fall.
Mitch, I haven’t seen the NCJ yet, but apparently the Bass campaign now HAS said that the individual in question is no longer affiliates with their campaign.
I’m guessing that the Bass campaign and it’s “official” spokespeople like Richard Marks didn’t want to respond on this thread, simply because they didn’t want to give Heraldo the satisfaction. If so, that’s a little immature and petty, but hey, that’s politics these days. But as long as they have dealt with it appropriately in the NCJ, I’m fine with that.
But I’m not clear on whether Mr. Holmquist has apologized yet.
tra,
If he’s no longer affiliated with the campaign, an apology from the former worker would be nice, but the lack of one doesn’t reflect on the campaign.
I hope holding their breath and stamping their feet isn’t going to be their governance strategery if they get into office.
If this is such old news: “,,, this incident happened April 19th. Weeks ago.”
then why was Holmquist representing Bass at the May 1 Arts alive (11 days ago):
– as reported by Andrewe Bird (May 9, 7:55: “Christopher Holmquist was staffing Virginia’s table at Arts Alive last week.”
Wouldn’t a campaign yank this guy on April 20th, or as soon as they were notified?
Perhaps Bird got his dates wrong. If not, it seems this is not really something that was resolved weeks ago.
In answer to the questioner above, and speaking from knowledge of both Heraldo and Andrew Bird, they can’t be the same person. Heraldo sometimes admits to making an error.
“…the lack of one doesn’t reflect on the campaign.”
You’re right, they can’t FORCE him to apologize, and strictly speaking it’s not their responsibility to try to do so. But it would be better for the Bass campaign if he did apologize, as that would help bring closure to the story.
Anyway, this was an interesting incident, and it was even more interesting to see how different people reacted to the story. On one side, some commenters tried to inflate it into a huge issue, blame Bass and her staff, etc. Meanwhile on the other side, some tried to ignore it, pooh-pooh it, excuse it, blame the victim, complain that it shouldn’t have been made public, and/or that it was made public in a cynical, calculating way, etc.
A kind of political Rorschardt (sp?) ink-blot test.
tra,
I’ve yet to see the NCJ. Speaking of interesting reactions, I think the most interesting reaction of all is that of the daily paper.
I can confirm that Chris was tabling for and alongside Virginia on May 1st at the Gazebo in OldTown. They looked pretty chummy at that point. The original note to Heraldo was about signs being stolen in an what looked like a targeted fashion. The harrasing incidents were mentioned but NO ONE was named and NO AUDIO tape was offered. The source of both the name (easily located on the computer) and the audio leak is still unknown. In this town, where everyone knows everyone, it is hard to keep secrets anyway.
The point is, if someone made those kind of threats to the president, someone would be in jail right now. I don’t advocate prosecuting Chris, but I hope airing all of this will keep Chris from repeating his mistakes. I was pleased Virginia kicked him off the campaign. Too bad she never announced it and it had to be disclosed through a very biased article in the NCJ.
The article asked why Bonnie didn’t phone Virginia to complain. Can you hear the cries of “Whiner” from Virginia’s camp? It would be spun until you fell down dizzy! Never give Matthew Owen a chance to ‘victimize the victim’ in politics.
Ah ha – the NCJ explains the situation. Bass states they found out about Holmquist’s behavior through this blog and didn’t know about Holmquist’s behavior until it was posted – that was after the May 1st Arts Alive. So, the question now is… Did the Neely people observe Holmquist representing Bass on May 1? If so, did they feel compelled to explain their concerns to Bass at that point?
I haven’t seen that NCJ article yet, but I’m sure the Bass campaign folks took the opportunity to thank the Herald for bringing this matter to their attention!
;)
Apparently Eric supports Bass.
Actually, I support Bonnie. But carry on.
Mitch – responding, I just think everything which needed to be said has been said. If the gentleman is challenged in some way, then this thread has been reduced to a lynch mob. But apparently some progressive see fit to just go on pounding the guy when he’s down. You’ve provided your name, as have I, and we reap the harvest of what we say, including an attempt of an attack on my law practice by one anonymous individual. Most of the people in this thread with the most vicious attacks on a challenged individual won’t have to face any consequences for their actions. So it’s a free for all. Whatever the Bass campaign does or doesn’t do, this individual has been beaten on enough.
That’s just my opinion. Apparently I’ve lost at least one prospective client for it. C’est la vie.
It’s not a free for all. Several comments quickly found the trash can.
Eric,
I agree that the more vicious attacks on Mr. Holmquist are just that: vicious attacks. There was no need for that, especially if the guy has some intrinsic challenges.
But (to the extent that I can as an anonymous commenter) I stand behind what I wrote on this thread. The guy screwed up and ought to apologize. The Bass campaign should distance themselves from his actions (and apparently they have now done so).
In my opinion, the story was worth revealing, though many of the reactions (from various sides) were inappropriate. But, hey, that’s all part of life on the infotainment supertubeway.
I do agree that some of the comments amount to “kicking him when he’s down,” but I don’t count my own, or Mitch’s, among them. Perhaps you disagree.
I would also add that likening rough treatment on a blog comment thread to a “lynch mob” seems a bit of an exaggeration. I know if I had to choose suffering a bit of public ridicule for a actual mistake I made, versus being hanged by an angry mob for no good reason, it would not be hard to choose.
RA and Mitch – no, I don’t have any problems with your comments, nor many others.
Heraldo – fair enough. Thanks.
Eric,
It surprises me how differently people can see things. With the exception of a few comments, I think most of the discussion was about the campaign’s non-reaction to what sounds like serious excess by a former campaign worker, but excess that in context might be understood.
Honestly, I think the campaign could have spared the former worker a great deal of awkwardness by simply saying that he was no longer involved with the campaign and that the campaign would not support the actions that were alleged. They didn’t have to join in the accusations, or push someone overboard, or….
It’s still amazing to me that the campaign never responded to this thread. Perhaps I have an incorrect sense of the readership of this blog, but to let something like this just sit out there for days, perhaps betting that the daily newspaper will never bother to cover a significant story? I just don’t get it.
I’ll be interested (when I eventually get the NCJ or see the story online) to find out whether the Bass campaign ever bothered to apologize.
I’ll also be interested, given the NCJ’s high standards about dogs signing letters and similar ethics violations, to see how they responded to what still sounds like a multiple-incident stalking effort against a supervisor.
Thanks for the reassurance Eric. I didn’t THINK that shoe was fitting. I try to be as reasonable as I can, ESPECIALLY because I realize that I am posting anonymously and I see how nasty and pointless so many anonymous comments are.
Of course like most anyone, there may be a couple topics that hit close to home or otherwise evoke an emotional reaction, and so I can get a bit overheated. So it doesn’t surprise me that people sometimes get overzealous in their comments, or even get personal and nasty. What DOES surprise me is how some of the commenters seem to be at constant risk of completely blowing a gasket on just about any issue that is raised.
If all that outrage is for real, all that stress can’t be good for their health. Relax people, say your piece, do what you can, and try to enjoy things a little more. Or keep on seething and frothing, if that’s what you really need. Maybe it’s cathartic.
So, see you guys back here in 2014?
On this thread? God I hope not!
Vive le Thread!! Let’s go for 2012 first.
Funny I saw that guy Holmquist in WINCO the other day, buying flowers. He didn’t look particullarly dangerous.Nor did he look disabled.
He looked like a young, over 6 foot tall guy who appeared to be in relitvely good physical condition.
it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Bonnie Neely based on what I see to be physically afraid of him if he’s leaving her nasty voicemails
Developmental issues aside, It’s not OK to go around threatening and harrassing people. Particularly public officials That sort of thing can get a person into lots of trouble and derservedly so, I might add.
People with disabilities have equal Constitutional rights as everyone else However, they don’t have any special rights.
So the whole He’s diabled leave him alone ” arguement doesn’t fly
I don’t know what his prior history of run ins with the law is or if he has done this sort of thing before or inclined to any other volitile behavior.
That should go a long way in dertemining what happens to him next
At the very least Holmquist should get a stern warning from the Judge not to pull this kind of stuff in the future.
Robash,
so, do you think what this guy did was worse than the court operations gal who was finked o n by a fellow employee with respect to language claims?
With Bonnie – a direct contact was achieved.
With the judge – no direct contact.
I wonder what bifurcation the courts will affirm when considering “threats upon elected officials” AND whether or not the judgements are commensurate?
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
Well he shouldn’t go around making threats or harassing anyone, elected official or not.
That being said If he’s ever done anything violent or probably should just get a stern talking to with more severe consequences if ,in the future, he has not learned his lesson.
” Mitch Says:
May 13, 2010 at 7:10 am
So let’s review the NCJ article, to get some further insight into how the local press operates:
First the story: “Mr X, a 25 year old worker with the Bass campaign, seen tabling with them on May 1st, apparently left a threatening voice message at the Neely campaign, after having driven behind Neely heckling her while she walked in the district. The daily and weekly never reported word one, until this week’s NCJ.
Paragraphs 1-3: Threatening sounding message left on Neely campaign voice mail. Leaked to Herald. Neely also “verbally thrashed” while campaigning.
Paragraph 4,5: EPD to Neely, “Yawn, sounds like too much work. Nothing to see.”
Paragraph 6,7: Here’s the person who did the “verbal thrashing,” here’s the person who did the phone message. But the person has no comment.
Paragraphs 8,9,10,11: The Bass campaign gets to thrash Neely for complaining about two stalking incidents. The nerve.
Paragraph 12, 13: The Neely campaign gets to respond solely to the Bass campaign’s complaint about them not being polite victims.
Paragraph 14, 15: The nerve of anyone to tell the public!”
Brilliant review of the biased and lame news story
in the Northcoast Journal. Notice its all these male reporters that are so enamored with Princess Bass. They just can’t bring them selves to the reality that she dumb as a post and just a shill for Arkley and the Development at any price community. I can’t blame her to much for playing that helpless female angle, I guess you go with what you got and she dosn’t have anything else.
Yeah, all those “male reporters that are so enamored with Bass”.
Because, everybody knows, what a conservative mouth piece the North Coast Journal is.
Get a flippin’ clue Roberta.
Just read “Notes from the Hustings” in the North Coast Journal.
Who are the idiots advising Neely in her failed campaign (down by 15+ points and falling in the latest polls)? Tom Peters (who posts about 20-30 times a day under various handles), Andy Bird, Shane Briton, Richard Salzman or is Meghan Vogel gonna fall on the sword for team.
Said Meghan Vogel about the person in question, “We figured the individual was acting on his own accord.”
So why all the accusations towards Bass – if Neely’s campaign press secretary (Vogel) stated, “the individual was acting on his own accord”?
I can understand anonymous Prog Trogs being agitated. It’s not like they have a life or the courage to use their own names. But Neely’s own campaign team?
As for why Neely didn’t contact Bass? Said Vogel, “… they didn’t want to go there.”
You mean they didn’t want to be adults and act mature? So instead they leaked a recording (with no date or time) to an anonymous blog?
This same recording turned out to be from over three weeks ago (April 19). “Humboldt County Sheriffs Office. Public Information Officer Brenda Godsey said that since no actual crimes were committed in both incidents, there would be no investigation.”
Still no time disclosed on when this recording was left on Neely’s message machine.
So did Neely do? She sat on it until absentee ballots were sent trying to get some desperate traction with the voters.
Real professional. But that’s what we’ve come to expect from Neely.
And my personal favorite from Vogel, “Vogel didn’t know who leaked the recording to the Herald, but it wasn’t the intention of the campaign to publicize the incidents. I don’t think we wanted to make a stink out of it.”
Yes you did, that’s why you leaked to an anonymous blog. Only it blew up in a massive shit bomb in your face.
If a candidate lies, cheats and steals during an election, just imagine the possibilities once that person is in office?
Since Neely signed the Fair Campaign Practice Form, she now has to publicly disclose who leaked this recording to Heraldo and fire them.
I’m sure Bass is waiting patiently for an apology from Neely for sitting on this recording for three plus weeks, for not disclosing this matter and dealing with it as adults, for leaking this recording to an anonymous blog, and for lying about not knowing who leaked it.
Roberta @ 9:59:
great post!
excellent summation and analysis.
bass exhibits all of the qualities and intellectual depth of a 3rd grader.
she even manages to make nancy fleming look intelligent.
Who are the idiots advising Neely in her failed campaign (down by 15+ points and falling in the latest polls)?
What polls?
Good question
Polling IS taking place. I got an automated DA poll last night. Very short and simple but wanted to know which of the four candidates (yes, four) I would vote for, plus undecided. I am not undecided but that is what I told them. That is one reason polling can be inaccurate.
Who is doing it, and does one get the results?
I never answer questions from pollsters because I don’t want to help them manipulate the voters. I believe in keeping the secret ballot secret!
Myrtletown Member, You’re looking a bit limp! None of the people you mentioned are ‘advisors’ to Bonnie. A couple of them do some volunteering. Meghan is Bonnie’s press person, I think (not sure). So accuse away, old salt. When you Myrtletown Member falls flacid, don’t look at us.
Yes, MM, I read this blog too. And I occassionally post, sometimes two or three times a day. Believe me, there are not enough hours in my day to post “20 or 30″ times a day, under any name. And yes, I have done at least 3 hours of volunteer work for Bonnie. Some folks believe what they want, regardless of the truth. Accusations are easy, aren’t they?
You weren’t going to vote for Bonnie regardless of what you read here so what’s your beef about who we are or what we do? Myself and many others believe she is an intelligent, commited person who understands land use and the other issues in our county and I am going to vote for her. You’re on your own. Next time Virginia says “Huh?”, think about it.
The more I read about this this The more I start to feel some grudging sympathy towards this Holmquist fellow.
Sure he acted like a numbskull and I certainly don’t condone his actions. He should certainly have to face some consequences
I don’t know if he’s disabled or not but he’s obviously very bad at picking his “friends”.
It’s just that the political weaseling and jockying and double talking on all sides surrounding this issue shown on this thread strikes me even more disgusting.
Robash,
it could just be the 4th District is in flux and all 3 candidates are unsure as to their current vote tab positions, so conspiracies, claims and gossip.
I will say this – based on the forums, the challengers to Bonnie Neely have done nothing spectacular to dethrone her; and, Bonnie is not taking advantage with her knowledge….yet.
Run-off – if so, it will be Bonnie and 1 of 2 imho. If your going to dethrone a 24 year incumbent, then you better bring more to the table than what has been brought up to this point. I especially took notice when Bonnie was attacked as the only person responsible for Eureka’s lack of having a face on the board – as I started thinking about that not really being the case, low and behold, Bonnie sets the record straight regarding 3 supes and their responsibilities.
So the political lessen Red Forman relays is, don’t stick your own foot up your own … !
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
Debate on KHUM with Bonnie, Virginia and Jeff broadcasting now until 7. Watch it on KHUM.
Virginia likes Leno over Conan. That says it all.
Such as? 500 comments from other numbskulls?
Hey! I can’t stand Conan’s hair. I like Leno, but Hooked on Bass? I’ll take a pass— lotsa crass, not 1 bit of class.
Actually it’s not 500 it’s proabably more like a couple dozen numbskulls who are repeat offenders.
Aren’t you running for 5th District Supervisor? Why do you care about what is happening in the 4th? And I don’t even understand what you are saying 90% of the time. You are on a different plain then the rest of us. Do you even read your posts? I imagine not. Why don’t you do us all a favor and endorse your 5% of the fringe vote to Higgins and help him go over the 50% and end this? Obviously you have no chance and that is fact! Did Cleary talk you into staying in the race? This election cycle is full of phychotic crazyness!
NJL – I have to agree, Henchman’s posts have gotten more and more obscure and angry/insulting. I don’t get it considering he is running for office, but I suppose most of his voting audience is not reading this blog – so it really doesn’t matter in terms of the election.
The Hunchman has a touch of paranoia and a bit of a persecution complex. You’d have to be in a similar headspace for his rants to make sense.
Robash141 5:42 -> Too bad the people who post messages here disgust you.
You may think you are superior to them but you are not.
Simply because you find a thread beyond your capacity to understand, it does not mean anybody is weaseling or jockeying or double-talking.
Isn’t it remarkable that neither Virginia Bass nor her campaign manager have bothered to put a brief explanation on this thread? Or send an apology to Bonnie Neely? I guess that would interfere with the “it’s Bonnie’s fault” game plan.
And our local “journalists”? The Times-Standard hasn’t noticed, and the North Coast Journal apparently doesn’t consider threats and stalking to rise to the same breathless significance as letters to the editor signed by dogs.
Now if a campaign worker had been spotted posting a no-Arkleyville sticker on a parking meter, that would be STOP THE PRESSES news.
It would be worse, but I’ll bet everyone but the press’ favorites already knows they can’t get the news from the local press.
No it’s not lack of understanding. I think I understand these people all too well.
While I’m not excusing his boorish actions, Holmquist appears to be a overeager rube who was used, abused and then summarily cast aside by cynical politicios.
Some His former “friends”, who he appeared to labor hard to impress ,now act as if they barely know him.
So yeah, there is lots of weasel wording to cover up weaselish actions .
Tom Peters – you couldn’t have said it any better.
“Some folks believe what they want, regardless of the truth.”
Welcome to Heraldoville. Where the clueless distort the truth (and lie) to the brainless.
In the meantime, if you’re having problems coming up with an appropriate apology for Neely to give Bass, let me suggest one from the clueless.
You’re welcome to use these words:
“I regret that one of my volunteers has apparently made leaked a recorded phone call to an anonymous blog.
By the way, there was no harassment or shouting in public. I just made that shit up.
Since I signed the Fair Campaign Form (on file with the County), I have asked this volunteer to take responsibility for his/her actions, to apologize to Ms. Bass, and to refrain from any similar stupidity in the future.
I want to make it clear that I do not in any way support or condone these sorts of activities in support of my campaign.
For that reason, this person (publicly named) will no longer be part of my campaign organization going forward.”
I think that would be appropriate, don’t you?
That’s right, Myrtletown. Blame the victim is what you righties do best.
Myrtletown – I challenge you to a dual of transparency. Since enough posters have not had a problem matching name to comment, what say you?
If your gonna walk that walk, talk the talk with a name or be considered a bush whacker who needs admittance to the tent with the yellow Jack hanging from above the entrance.
Sincerely consider transparency,
accordingly,
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
The word, Jeff, is “duel.” You’re welcome.
Jeff: Read your last post. Any flow at all? Do you think any 5th District voters will gather anything from this? Just stop now and endorse Higgins so there can be some clarity not Clearity.
Chris volunteered repeatedly for the Clark/Atkins campaign and was repeatedly refused because he was volunteering for the Jager campaign at the same time.
His M.O. is WELL-KNOWN by Bass and Co.
Taking swipes at a victim as you “apologize” put Bass in good company with Chris.
Thank You Anonymous,
my comical misspelling.
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
And I thought for sure we’d hit 500.
Right? So close.
At least your name isn’t Clendenen.
Chris is hiding on facebook with Richard Marks.