Nov 04, 2005  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO, JR.  | COMMENTS     

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.

Candidates support gay rights

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.