By Lee Logan, Times Staff Writer Lee LoganTampa Bay Times In Print: Sunday, January 13, 2013<\/p>\n
NEW PORT RICHEY A top Libertarian Party official accuses a Pasco GOP power broker of intimidating a young city council candidate. The Republican says the other guy's lying and that he was only enforcing party guidelines. <\/p>\n
And you thought we were taking a break from local politics for a while. <\/p>\n
The story begins with a phone call. <\/p>\n
GOP state committeeman Bill Bunting spoke Tuesday afternoon with Michael Malterer, who's running on an anti-red-light camera platform for New Port Richey City Council. (Each man says the other person initiated the call.) <\/p>\n
Here's how Bunting described the call: <\/p>\n
Malterer asked if he could speak at one or more Republican clubs. Bunting asked Malterer's party affiliation. Malterer told Bunting he is not a registered Republican. But he said the City Council race is nonpartisan and asked what difference his affiliation makes. <\/p>\n
\"It makes a difference to us because we have party rules,\" Bunting recalled saying. \"Unfortunately I cannot allow you to speak. Good luck on your campaign.\" <\/p>\n
Malterer, 24, declined to discuss specifics of the call, saying the dispute is not relevant to his campaign. He did say Bunting's \"version of events are untrue.\" He borrowed a phrase from retired major league baseball player Roger Clemens and said Bunting \"may be misremembering.\" <\/p>\n
Malterer is the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Pasco. The party's vice chairman is Alex Snitker, who ran under the party's banner for U.S. Senate in 2010. <\/p>\n
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Read more here: <\/p>\n
Pasco GOP, Libertarian leaders exchange accusations of intimidation, lies<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Lee Logan, Times Staff Writer Lee LoganTampa Bay Times In Print: Sunday, January 13, 2013 NEW PORT RICHEY A top Libertarian Party official accuses a Pasco GOP power broker of intimidating a young city council candidate. The Republican says the other guy's lying and that he was only enforcing party guidelines. Continue reading