August 30, 2006 - Earlier this year, political activists and media began receiving strange e-mails from a blind source. They led to a Web site devoted to discussing State Sen. Toni Hellon (R- Dist. 26). It featured only one thing - her use of campaign funds to remodel part of her home into a senate office.

It was a political "Yeah, so?" I replied to it and future versions stating I never consider anonymous information credible and it would be ignored. Apparently everybody else in the media felt the same.

The e-mails continued and the Web site grew spookier. It contained a steady flow of pictures many clearly taken through the windows of Sen. Hellon's home. It was clear she was being harassed, if not stalked.

The stalking was more relevant than the window blinds at her home. When a letter to her campaign contributors appeared on the same subject clearly attempting to discourage more contributions, it was obviously not an ordinary stalker but someone with a political purpose.

First suspect was State Rep. Steve Huffman (R-Dist. 26) or someone close to him. Huffman for a time was running against Toni in the District 26 GOP primary and is notorious for sleazy campaigning. But Huffman switched to seek the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Jim Kolbe. Just co-incidentally, one of Huffman's opponents is Toni Hellon's ex-husband, Mike.

Next was Toni's current opponent, Al Melvin. To his credit, everyone who knows anything about Capt. Melvin immediately discarded this possibility.

Which left some nefarious group attempting to elect more conservatives like Melvin operating without his knowledge. A few of them are as sleazy as Huffman, but they couldn't go three paragraphs let alone a whole Web site without mentioning abortion or school choice at least once. It's possible it was them, but not probable.

'Twas a puzzlement but Toni herself may have the answer.

Sen. Hellon claims that in response to her formal complaint, the Pima County Sheriff's Department traced the Web site to onetime GOP Tucson City Council candidate Todd Clodfelter.

The man with cap and sunglasses seen several times by neighbors taking photographs while trespassing she believes to be Tucson realtor and backroom political shaker Bill Arnold. She filed for an injunction keeping Arnold and Clodfelter off her property and a $200,000 civil suit citing harassment and trespass against both. They've issued denials, but Arnold has since resigned as Huffman's treasurer.

Independent of Hellon, the phony letter claiming to be from "Friends of Toni Hellon" with a return address of the Secretary of State's office was forwarded to the Attorney General by the SOS for violation of state campaign laws. Whoever the culprit, he was stupid enough to invite law enforcement to look for him.

This whole matter rang a bell. About 10 years ago, Amphi School Board member Nancy Young Wright had a similar experience when she opposed the current site of Ironwood Ridge High School. Creepy people tailing her, shutterbugs spotted, and a strange van parked near her house. The involvement of a private detective was verified but who hired him was never disclosed. One of Nancy's antagonists over that was, just co-incidentally, Bill Arnold, a site acquisition consultant to the then school board. It was alleged then that he profited as a realtor from his site selections.

Delving further into the political Cold Case File, it contains a former State Representative who was hammered by a series of anonymous and politically threatening e-mails from a sham site, and a former State Senator who had reports of a strange person taking pictures of his home. Both former officials were, again perhaps co-incidentally, political antagonists of Mr. Arnold.

That Arnold is a compulsive shutterbug can be attested to by those who've had him coyly take their picture or who've watched him do so at events over the years. That his M.O. is intimidating is unquestionable.

Whoever the Northside Stalker is, hopefully the exposure the practice has received from the Toni Hellon incident will shine enough light on the subject to discourage the practice.

Cockroaches really hate sunlight.

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EMIL FRANZI

EMAIL FRANZI

BUT WATCH WHAT YOU SAY!

About Emil Franzi

Emil Franzi is the owner and host of "Inside Track" on KVOI - 690AM and KAPR - 930AM in Douglas. The program airs on Saturdays from 12 pm till 5 pm.

Franzi currently writes a weekly column for the EXPLORER (formerly the NORTHWEST EXPLORER). He filled the TUCSON WEEKLY with close to a million relevant words from 1993 to 2004 and was an OpEd regular with the Az Daily Star from 1994 to 1998. His writing has also appeared in PHOENIX Magazine, ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, and the late CITY MAGAZINE in Tucson.

But then, Franzi is an iconoclast.

This website is Franzi's baby, put together with work, faith, and a little help from his friends, like Tom Danehy, Joyce Downey and Mike Tully. The concept -- politics, books, humor, the Old West, movies, "Pet Talk" and letters -- is Emil's. This unique brew seems to work. This website averages more than a thousand "hits" a day and keeps growing.

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