Gay Oklahoma commissioner questions anonymous calls

[davidinalameda]

http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_1091.php

Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth says he will ask for a determination on whether laws on elections and campaign finance were broken by the backer of an automated telephone call targeting him.
Roth is the county’s first openly gay public official.

The recorded message accused Roth of “advancing the homosexual agenda in Oklahoma County” and mentioned a speech he was to give. The recorded female voice did not say who paid for the call or leave a return number. The number that showed up on caller ID was from a Michigan area code. The calls were made last weekend.

“I think it’s an outrage that they send those type of smearing, trashy phone calls to people on a Sunday afternoon and don’t have the courage to remove the white hood and show their face,” Roth said. “I’m concerned that it has the potential of violating a number of laws.”

Tim Pope, a Mustang resident and board member of the Oklahoma Republican Assembly, said he paid for the calls. Pope said he was not
required to put a disclaimer claiming responsibility on the call because he was promoting an event at which Roth was scheduled to speak.