Truths' out.

At the time there were denials from the Neely camp. Richard Marks adamantly stated that Bonnie Neely had gotten in bed with Richard Salzman. Getting re-elected was more important to her than anything else... As a guest-writer this week's Town Dandy, Eric Kirk proves Richard Marks was right on the money...
excerpt: ...Transcendence be damned. Nuances notwithstanding, most politics can be reduced to stereotypes of liberalism vs. conservatism. When I moved to Humboldt County in the ’90s, the ideological lines of the North Coast were clear and pronounced. Fresh on the heels of Redwood Summer, none of the politics surprised me. Rallies at Stafford. Tree sits. Pepper spray. “U.S. out of Humboldt County.” Wal-Mart. Marijuana. It all culminated in 2002 with the first election of Paul Gallegos as District Attorney, revealing progressive politics as a burgeoning force countywide, as conservatives dug in for a siege.

But the siege never came, and politics have never been the same.

At first the lines held strong. Bonnie Neely, longtime Republican pol and wife of the vanquished D.A. Terry Farmer, jumped all over Gallegos in the aftermath of the initial filing of the Palco suit. “You’re all alone,” she told him coldly at a meeting stacked by Palco employees who had circled the Courthouse in a demonstration with images reminiscent of the Chilean truckers strike, circa 1972 — as the Board voted to decline Gallegos leave to farm the case out to private counsel.

But then came the recall. Robin Arkley, Sr., ponied up five grand to prime the Palco cash pump. But then Arkley, Jr., no raving liberal, trumped him with 12 g’s to oppose the recall. Palco and its parent Maxxam threw down $85K for a campaign that went down in a thud with numbers so convincing that one has to assume at least a portion of the “old guard” had broken solidarity. Conservatives, who had not voted for Gallegos, and would not vote for him in the subsequent election, didn’t like recalls, or perhaps distrusted Palco more than they despised the upstart.

A minor, and perhaps fleeting, shift. But it didn’t end there.

Three years later Bonnie Neely embraced Gallegos at his reelection party. She also celebrated her own victory taking her to a runoff election with a fellow Republican, beating out the lone Democrat with the blessing of local Democratic Party activists. She was deemed the “liberal” candidate. In that same election moderate Republican Virginia Bass was elected Mayor of Eureka with the help of a progressive activist campaign manager (who had opposed Wal-Mart) on a de facto slate opposite Neely’s coalition, in which Neely informally caucused with unmistakable liberals like Larry Glass and Chris Kerrigan....

Let's not forget, only a short time ago, this is what Eric's camp was saying about Neely:
>On Friday, March 5, 2004, at 03:10 PM, Michael Twombly wrote:
>> Sacramento Insider Poop: Confidential
>> 1. Not too late to derail Neely appointment
>> Neely is all out for this appointment, balls to the wall.
>> Her support with Gov. Arnold comes from Tracy Walsh (wife of Danny Walsh and Maria S. chief of staff) and from Red Emerson (big $$$ to Arnold). Other than that, no support for Bonnie with Arnold.
>> 2. DA Recall could play BIG in Coastal Commission appointment (John W. A WINNER, Bonnie a loser.)
>> Gov's office is laughing over Maxxam/PL's stupidity and big loss; Flanigans are a joke; Obviously Reeps and Demos voted against Neely and the recall. Neely's star sinking. Let's help it. Tie Neely to Recall. Keep her losing.

Also: Looking back... One thing you do have to admit, Eric (and all of your "proggggrressive" camp - now that every single court that has touched Gallegos'/Ken Miller's wretched PL suit has tossed it for lack of merit, after the 1st Distrcit Court of Appeals laughed at Gallegos' arguments, after the Supreme Court refused his requests... you have to admit that the Board of Supervisors did the right thing in recognizing it for what it was, a piece of shit...