Idaho Mountain Express: Resident admits role in campaign letter

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Friday, October 30, 2009

Resident admits role in campaign letter

Sun Valley voters receive anonymous letter

By TREVON MILLIARD
Express Staff Writer

Nils Ribi

Sun Valley resident Franz Suhadolnik has acknowledged being one of what he said is a group of people responsible for circulating an anonymous letter to Sun Valley voters criticizing City Councilman and candidate Nils Ribi.

Suhadolnick, a frequent attendee at Sun Valley City Council meetings and writer of letters to the editor in the Mountain Express, declined to divulge the names of the other members of the group.

The letter, sent to Sun Valley residents last week, told voters that "it is time to end Ribi's political career" because he "consistently votes to give your money to his favorite special interests and charities."

The letter enumerated Ribi's alleged excessive giving to the Wood River Economic Partnership, Blaine County Housing Authority, the Environmental Resource Center and "others too numerous to mention."

The mostly typed letter is signed "Sun Valley Citizens for Better Government," but no contact information or any explanation as to the members of the group is given.

Contacted by an Idaho Mountain Express reporter, Suhadolnik defended the letter as being entirely factual. He said he wanted to sign his name to it, but "didn't have full control." He said the group decided against any personal signatures and left it at "Sun Valley Citizens for Better Government."

"It's a small town and they don't want to offend their friends," he said.

For that reason, Suhadolnik said he wouldn't divulge the names of the other members.

"If they want to come forward, I will let them do that," he said.
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But he's not one to hide his involvement, he said.

Suhadolnik has written numerous letters to the editor skeptical of Ribi and local politics.

"My name's out there more than it should be," he said.

Suhadolnik said he's going to submit a letter to the editor of the Express explaining his actions.

Ribi sent a rebuttal letter to Sun Valley voters on Oct. 24 stating that the unwillingness of those who wrote the letter to put their names to it only discredits their claims.

"We can all support those who express their own opinions about candidates for public office," Ribi wrote in the letter, "but there should be a line drawn when people ... hide cowardly behind anonymity."

In an interview with the Express, Ribi repeated his contention that those responsible for the letter are "cowards."

"The bottom line to me is, would you want your name associated with that letter?" he asked.

In Ribi's Oct. 24 letter, he didn't specifically address the accusations made against him.

"It would be impossible to address each misstatement here (in the letter)," he wrote, adding that concerned voters can call him with questions.

Three days after his letter, Ribi defended his political decisions in a blog posting on www.nilsribi.wordpress.com.

Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com

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There are 4 comments

The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing Inc.

Let's be nice kids

10/31/09 - 09:01

Franz,
This so-called paper is doing a hatchet-job on you. Just like they do on everyone they disagree with (everyone in the valley knows this paper is just a Jerry Sieffert opinion rag anyway and has not even the slightest resembleance to a NEWSpaper). You have every right to send any letter you want, anonymously or not. This is AMERICA (at least for now). Hold your head high! You say what you believe and I admire it! Mr. Ribi seems to accuse you of exactly the same thing he does all the time.
In the words of a famous American "I may not always agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
Mr. Ribi, I agree with most of your positions on city council, but remember, "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones", meaning don't blame others for doing EXACTLY what you have done in the past!
We're not stupid Mr. Ribi.

Nils Ribi – Sun Valley, ID

10/30/09 - 10:15

Mr. Suhadolnik hardly confesses ï¿½immediatelyï¿½ that he is one of the anonymous writers of that letter which was post-marked on October 22nd. He didnï¿½t have the courage to send another letter to the voters of Sun Valley that he was behind it. Rather he only disclosed his identity in a blog at SunValleyOnline at 5:28 pm on October 27th, a full 5 days later.

As to Mr. Suhadolnikï¿½s claim in his comment below that I ï¿½refuses to addressï¿½ his version of the ï¿½factsï¿½, this is yet another clear example of his dishonesty with the people of Sun Valley. My full response to the spurious claims in his anonymous letter has been laid out in detail online, with direct references to the public record, just as the Mountain Express has reported above. It has been online since the morning of October 27th.

Here is a direct link to my full response with references to the public record:

nilsribi.wordpress.com

Reply to Nils Ribi

ugh

10/30/09 - 11:06

Why don't you tell the voters how you forcefully confiscated the property of the Crown Point developer? I say forcefully confiscated because your own personal preferences prevented him from developing his private property. Your wordpress.com website only shows that you are nothing more than a big windbag.

suhadolnik

10/30/09 - 09:01

Mr. Millard fails to mention that immediately following the mailing of the letter I posted my name on Sun Valley on Line as one of the contributors. He also fails to mention that the IME weekly prints "Our View" columns which are anonymous. I might add that Mr. Ribi is the beneficiary of an ad placed in the IME which is identified only by the name of the group "Save Sun Valley", no individuals identified. This group accepted donations from those like myself and Mr. Adam with the explicit promise that the sole purpose of the group was to defeat consolidation and not to be political. If that ad was paid for by donated money then Mr. Adams money was used to endorse his opponents and that is unacceptable. As for the facts printed in the letter concerning Mr. Ribi's voting record one only has to check with city hall to verify these facts which Mr. Ribi refuses to address for obvious reasons. He should do so because some may admire that record. These facts can also be checked out by viewing the advertisement placed on Sun Valley Online by Mrs. Thorson and Mrs. Comber. This ad basically reiterates the facts presented in our letter. I have no problem with publicly criticizing Mr. Ribi and have done so in the past. I find it particularly objectionable that Mr. Ribi uses his website and his extensive e-mail list to criticize and correct his fellow council members when they do not agree with him.