Austin City Council Member Jennifer Kim's campaign admitted Sunday to placing anonymous calls to voters questioning opponent Randi Shade's campaign promises.
The automated calls added new flame to the political firefight between Kim and Shade in the Austin City Council race for Place 3.
Voter David Rigsby said he received the following message in his voicemail:
"Why is Randi Shade trying to break the bank? Hi, this is your neighbor Lisa, calling to let you know City Council candidate Randi Shade has made budget promises that could mean cuts in city services and higher taxes for you. In seeking the endorsement of police and firefighters, Shade agreed to increase funding for management positions without having seen a budget, which is now in the red."
Rigsby said he doesn't have a neighbor Lisa.
Kim's campaign said the intention was not to be deceptive, but rather to catch people's attention by using a "your neighbor Lisa."
The Kim campaign said it was political speech protected by the first amendment, and not against the election code. However, it said it will check state law to see if it was an "inadvertent technical violation."
The Shade campaign said the information in the call is false
and that State law states such anonymous, automated calls are illegal.
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Campaign Calls
News 8 Austin's Heidi Zhou tells
us about an anonymous call made to
voters.
 
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"I don't think anybody at the safety unions can corroborate that story," Shade said. "It's just a boldfaced lie."
The Kim campaign said the information was based on an editorial from the Austin-American Statesman.
"We only did one call, which had to do with her commitment to raise the budget for public safety—without knowing the details of the budget—when she was endorsed by the public safety union," Kim said. "But if there's anything else, then that may be uncoordinated with my campaign"
Shade said she's never made any financial commitment to those public workers.
Former National Guard member, Ken Weiss is also running for Place 3.
