FIRELINDA.COM Draws Fire

An anti-Linda Houldin website called "firelinda.com" is chortling about legal efforts to prevent it from publishing any more material unflattering to the Newtown Township supervisor who is running for the GOP nomination in tomorrow's primary.

Jim Stefanides, Linda's campaign manager, hired the Philadelphia law firm of Bochetto and Lentz, which has sent a cease and desist letter to the Arizona company that registered and publishes the web site.

Claiming the site violates Pa. state law because it expressly advocates the defeat of a political candidate, attorney David Heim has requested Domains by Proxy Inc. of Scottsdale take it down.

The site is published anonymously and seems to have gone up a couple of weeks ago. It contains material that comes under such headings as "Linda's Lies," cites her alleged effort to get her son hired as a Newtown cop and provides copies of old arrest reports involving Stefanides.

Whoever started the site, also posted the letter sent by Stefanides lawyer to the Domains by Proxy too. Today's post includes this:

Well this is fun. Apparently Mr. Stefanidis is trying to suppress the truth. Remember, this is the person Linda Houldin and George Wood are going to appoint to fill (Deceased Supervisor Bob) Slawter's seat.

Let me be clear. There is nothing on this website that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a particular candidate. Everything on this website is fact. I am in no way connected to either campaign for Newtown Township Supervisor.

The second complaint is that "nowhere on the website is my identity revealed". Do they think I'm stupid? These people are foaming at the mouth to find my identity. It looks to me like that pesky little thing called the First Amendment is on my side.

I'll be calling Heim to see if he's heard back from the domain company concerning their intentions.

More later.

UPDATE: Heim isn't in the office today. I left a message for him. But the web site was still up last time I checked so... Whoever is behind firelinda.com is being well protected or has protected their own identity quite well. I haven't been able to find out who it is. It sure has Linda's and Stefanides' attention. And with only a day to go before the primary, whether it's taken down or not, it's gotten out the information that it wants to get out. A little sleazily. But cleverly.