The
Democratic
primary
for
the
Ward
3
seat
on
the
D.C.
Council
is
10
months
away,
but
backers
and
opponents
of
rival
candidates
Sam
Brooks
and
Jonathan
Rees
have
begun
a
furious
debate
on
local
Internet
listserves,
with
one
anonymous
Web
user
attempting
to
portray
Brooks
as
anti-gay.
Brooks,
26,
worked
for
gay
D.C.
Councilmember
Jim
Graham
last
year
and
was
selected
by
readers
of
the
Washington
Blade
as
a
leading
“straight
ally”
to
the
gay
community.
He
ran
unsuccessfully
for
an
at-large
seat
on
the
Council
in
September
2004.
Brooks
said
he
was
stunned
to
learn
last
month
that
someone
impersonated
him
on
two
popular
Web
sites
as
a
“Democrat
and
proud
white
supremacist.”
“
Washington,
D.C.
will
once
again
be
a
great
city
to
live
in
once
we
take
back
the
power
from
the
blacks,
chase
the
Hispanics
out
and
rescind
all
rights
for
gays
before
they
destroy
the
backbone
of
our
values,”
the
sender
who
claimed
to
be
Brooks
wrote.
“VOTE
Sam
Brooks,
candidate
for
Ward
3
City
Council,”
said
the
posting,
which
appeared
on
the
popular
Internet
classified
site
Craig’s
List
and
on
a
Yahoo
personal
page.
Brooks
said
Yahoo
agreed
to
remove
the
postings
from
its
site
after
he
convinced
them
that
the
sender
fraudulently
impersonated
him.
He
said
Craig’s
List
had
declined
to
delete
these
postings
from
its
site
as
of
early
this
week
but
agreed
to
look
into
the
matter,
Brooks
said.
Rees,
who
is
Brooks’
only
rival
so
far
in
the
Ward
3
race,
said
he
is
“appalled
and
outraged”
over
the
anonymous
attacks
against
Brooks.
He
said
he,
too,
has
been
the
target
of
“vicious”
personal
attacks
by
anonymous
Internet
postings,
including
some
that
have
fabricated
accusations
of
spousal
abuse
and
harassment.
“The
attacks
against
me
make
the
attacks
against
Sam
pale
by
comparison,”
he
said.
Rees
and
Brooks
are
competing
for
a
Council
seat
currently
held
by
Democrat
Kathy
Patterson,
a
strong
gay
rights
supporter
who
announced
she
is
giving
up
her
seat
to
run
for
the
post
of
Council
chair.
Incumbent
Council
Chair
Linda
Cropp
(D-At-Large)
is
giving
up
her
seat
to
run
for
mayor.
“I
plan
to
file
charges
of
false
impersonation
and
defamation,”
Brooks
said.
Rees
said
most
of
the
attack
postings
appear
to
have
stopped
last
week
after
he
and
Brooks
began
calling
Internet
service
providers
to
ask
for
a
trace
of
the
senders.
The
two
candidates
each
have
said
they
strongly
support
gay
civil
rights.
Rees
stated
in
an
e-mail
message
that
he
supports
legal
recognition
of
same-sex
marriage
and
aggressive
enforcement
of
the
gay
rights
provision
in
the
D.C.
Human
Rights
Act.
He
said
he
also
supports
a
proposal
by
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Activists
Alliance
for
the
city
to
enact
legislation
providing
domestic
partners
with
all
of
the
rights,
benefits
and
responsibilities
currently
available
under
D.C.
law
to
married
couples.
Brooks
has
expressed
support
for
the
same
issues
during
his
campaign
last
year
for
the
at-large
Council
seat
held
by
Democrat
Harold
Brazil.
He
received
a
rating
of
7.5
out
of
a
possible
10
from
GLAA
on
gay
and
AIDS
issues.
Rees,
meanwhile,
points
to
a
District
resident
who
filed
a
complaint
against
Brooks
before
the
D.C.
Office
of
Campaign
Finance
accusing
Brooks
of
falsifying
his
residence
in
Ward
2.
Michael
Simpson,
a
spokesperson
for
the
campaign
finance
office,
confirmed
that
such
a
complaint
was
filed
but
said
he
could
not
comment
until
the
office
completes
an
investigation.
Brooks
listed
a
Georgetown
address,
which
is
located
in
Ward
2,
during
his
race
last
year
for
the
at-large
Council
seat.
He
said
he
moved
into
Ward
3
less
than
a
month
before
he
filed
papers
as
a
candidate
for
the
Ward
3
Council
seat
earlier
this
year.
Bill
O’Field,
a
spokesperson
for
the
D.C.
Board
of
Elections
&
Ethics,
said
the
city’s
election
law
allows
candidates
for
ward
Council
seats
to
live
outside
the
ward
in
which
they
are
running
until
the
time
they
receive
their
party’s
nomination,
which
usually
takes
place
in
September.
