Christiansen Robocalls Questioned
Christiansen under fire over robocall allegations
BY ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Mayoral candidate Bill Christiansen is under fire for an automated phone poll that accused former Mayor Kathy Taylor of breaking the law during the city’s 2008 Great Plains Airlines settlement.
Christiansen said he hired David Weston Research to conduct a “robocall” push-poll that recently asked possible Tulsa voters which mayoral candidate they support. If the call-taker selected Taylor or Mayor Dewey Bartlett, an automated message “pointed out” the candidates’ baggage, Christiansen said.
Taylor, who said her husband and numerous supporters received the message, called the poll “disappointing” and potentially libelous – although she said she was relying on third-party reports that it described her actions with the words “illegal” and “embezzle.”
Josh McFarland, Christiansen’s campaign manager, confirmed that the poll called Taylor’s actions illegal but denied use of the word “embezzle.” He declined to provide the World with a transcript or recording of the robocall, saying it would be released at a press conference later this week.