TurnTo23.com

 
Bakersfield News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters
Related To Story

Supervisor Ray Watson Denies Allegations Of Extortion

Candidate Cliff Thompson Claims Extortion In Recent Supervisor Election

POSTED: 4:38 pm PDT June 4, 2008
UPDATED: 5:00 pm PDT June 4, 2008

Cliff Thompson lost the Kern County supervisor's race to incumbent Ray Watson and now one candidate is calling for a Grand Jury investigation over allegations of extortion.

Both candidates expected to win Tuesday night's 4th District supervisor race but incumbent Ray Watson ran away with the victory.

Now Thompson is crying foul. Thompson alleged in an e-mail he sent to ABC23 Wednesday afternoon that Watson told Mayor Harvey Hall if he didn't remove Mark Corum who is Hall Ambulance's media relations manager from Thompson's campaign, that Hall's ambulance contract would be in jeopardy.

Thompson called Watson's alleged move to dismiss Corum, extortion.

Wednesday afternoon, Watson called the allegations preposterous. He said he would never interfere with another person's campaign and did not interfere in this case. He said he never spoke to Hall or anyone connected to Hall about Corum or Thompson.

Watson said he was surprised by the allegation and doesn't believe it impacted the outcome of Tuesday's election. "The allegations, I believe, are totally unfounded,” said Watson.

Thompson will not comment beyond the e-mail and said he is still a bit under the weather. ABC23 also contacted Corum and Hall for comment. But they have not returned calls.

Thompson said he would be filing an immediate complaint with the Kern County Grand Jury. The grand jury said all complaints are kept confidential.

Links We Like

Sponsored Content
Employers generally have options when it comes to hiring. Makes sure you present yourself as professionally as possible, or else. More

You can pick your friends, but not your family -- or your neighbors. Here's what you need to know about how to deal with yours. More

It was bound to happen. There are now applications for your cell phone that can help you avoid speeding tickets as well as traffic jams. Drive carefully. More

Are you often tired or rushed in the morning? Give your morning habits a makeover, and start the day feeling positive and energetic instead. More

Sponsored Links

Share Your Pics & Vids

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.