Warning postcard creates a scare

An 80-year-old woman with heart problems went to the Kootenai County Clerk’s office Friday morning terrified that a judge was going to sue her for allegedly removing campaign signs from her lawn.

The unnamed woman got a postcard in the mail, allegedly from 1st District Judge John Mitchell, that says if she doesn’t stop removing campaign signs he will be “forced to take LEGAL ACTION.”

Mitchell, who is seeking re-election, is adamant that the postcards are fraudulent and weren’t sent by him or his supporters.

“I checked with everybody on our committee and nobody from our committee issued that,” Mitchell said. “Nobody I know would do that.”

He called the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office Friday morning to complain. Mitchell said he also sent a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office, along with a photocopy of the postcard.

The postcard had no return address, and the woman’s address and message were typewritten.

Clerk Dan English is furious, saying the postcard amounts to voter intimidation.

“It’s a direct assault on voters,” English said. He declined to reveal the woman’s name, saying she didn’t want any more stress. “A letter like that can send people through the roof with worry,” especially the elderly with health problems.

Marilyn Johnson, a secretary with the secretary of state’s elections office, said there is nothing in state law that makes it illegal for a person to remove a sign from his or her own yard. She said her office has a copy of the postcard but not enough information yet to comment.

Attorney Rami Amaro, Mitchell’s opponent in the May 23 election, said Friday she had “no idea” who sent out the postcard.