Sam Farr has faced tougher challenges during his 25 years in politics, including more than a decade in Congress, but probably not one as nettlesome as Mark Risley
Risley faces uphill battle against Farr
3 others challenge congressman
By KEVIN HOWE
Herald Staff Writer
Sam Farr has faced tougher challenges during his 25 years in politics, including more than a decade in Congress, but probably not one as nettlesome as Mark Risley.
Since congressional incumbents have a huge built-in advantage, the Republican from Pacific Grove is given no chance of carrying off an upset in the 17th Congressional District, but he appears to be having a good time in the role of self-made businessman campaigning against the career politician. In Risley's view, Farr doesn't have much to show for his years in office.
Risley said he decided to run in the Republican primary last March as "the culmination of my frustrations over the years, getting more and more ticked off, seeing the country going down the tubes.
"I thought maybe if a guy like me could put up a fight and pull off a miracle, I could start a one-by-one revolution back there."
He has accepted no contributions from special interests or political action groups, Risley said, and has received no help from the Republican Party, either state or national. No party official asked him to run.
"When I ran in and won the primary, not one Republican official, national, state or local, called and said, 'Congratulations.' The only letter I got was from (San Diego Republican Congressman) Darrell Issa, signed in his own hand, asking if there's anything he could do to help, let him know.
"I called him a few times. There was no return of my calls."
Farr dismisses Risley and the three other candidates on the ballot: Libertarian Joel Smolen of Pebble Beach, Peace and Freedom Party candidate Joseph Williams and Green Party candidate Ray Glock-Grueneich, both of Santa Cruz, as people with no track record of public service who are unwilling to pay their dues and work their way up the political ladder.
"Paying your dues gives you credibility," he said.
He concedes he is a professional politician but says he prefers the term "professional public servant."
That can be said about nearly every politician in Washington, Farr said, adding that "amateurs don't represent their constituents well."
No congressmen in recent years have been elected from the district who didn't have political experience or served in local office before running, Farr said, noting that Democrat Leon Panetta worked on Capitol Hill and for New York Mayor John Lindsey before he was elected, and his predecessor, Republican Burt Talcott, served on the Board of Supervisors before running for Congress.
A big part of an incumbent's advantage is on the fund-raising front, and Farr has proved the rule.
The Center for Responsive Politics Web site, opensecrets.org, shows Farr has raised $495,581 and spent $466,860 as of Sept. 30, while Risley has raised $132,286 and has spent $119,254.
Smolen, Williams and Glock-Grueneich have not reached the $5,000 campaign spending threshold that would require them to file a disclosure, according to the CRP report.
Smolen said that when the Libertarian Party asked him to run, "I decided to run a campaign that was about integrity and honor, not collecting money. Money collection has become an absolute national disgrace."
Farr's funding includes $277,350 from political action committees -- 56 percent -- and $214,298 from individuals, as of Sept. 30. Risley reported using $72,000 of his own money and receiving $60,236 from individuals.
Farr said the campaign finance reports are misleading, overstating his advantage.
"I have a lot of staff and overhead," he said. And as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, "I have to do my fair share with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee" helping other Democratic candidates, he said.
"I want to help Nancy Pelosi be speaker of the House, not just get Sam Farr re-elected. If I were spending more on my campaign than Risley, I'd be a lot more visible than he is."
Risley has been able to buy considerable TV advertising and has increased his public profile by reporting that he had received death threats during the campaign.
He said he has been able to stretch his advertising dollar by using a "talented young UC-Santa Cruz student" to produce his commercials rather than using a professional studio.
Despite the ads and publicity, Risley remains a relative unknown locally. He worked several years with the Macy's chain, rising to a position as regional human resources director. Now he runs Pacific Grove-based Peninsula Sports, which provides sports officials for interscholastic programs throughout the Central Coast.
Farr has defeated better-funded and better-qualified Republican challengers in the past, including Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau President Jess Brown and attorney Bill McCampbell. He beat 27 contenders when he was first elected to Congress in 1993 to succeed Leon Panetta.
"I don't run scared. I always run hard," he said.
Risley's advertising attacks Farr's record, but he denies he is running a negative campaign. He said Farr has "confused activity with achievement."
While Farr touts his role in pushing for more affordable housing at Fort Ord, Risley says that actually is a minus for the incumbent. Though Farr wrote the legislation transferring military property for civilian use at the former fort, Risley said much of the land remains in limbo, neglected and trashed.
"If I'm elected, I'll organize volunteers and go pick it up myself," Risley said.
Farr said Risley is "totally wrong" in his characterization of Fort Ord. He cited CSU-Monterey Bay, which he said provides "the most affordable housing in the state" for 1,200 students. He also cited the conversion of the Fort Ord hospital into a federal office building and the rehabilitation of housing for people graduating from drug-treatment programs.
Marina Municipal Airport and the University of California's Monterey Bay Education, Science and Technology Center have opened at the former Fritzsche Army Airfield, a satellite Veterans Affairs clinic has opened, and 1,500 units of low-income housing are being rented at Fort Ord "all because the federal government has responded" to local needs, Farr said.
Farr, who has clashed regularly with the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, said that agency "has yet to build one house that's affordable. The federal government has done more than its fair share. The issue is, when are the locals going to do it?"
As for his overall record in Congress, Farr said, Risley and the other candidates have been "cherry picking" among the thousands of votes he has cast over the years to highlight some they see as unfavorable.
The opponents, he said, have "no record of them ever having been involved in these issues."
"They make a lot of noise," he said, "but... what have they done to solve the problem?"
