As the pace picks up in the final week of the City Council campaign, charges of dirty tricks are flying back and forth over the use of a telephone survey on behalf of one of the candidates.

A number have reported receiving phone calls regarding what has been called a “media survey” or “media poll” about the upcoming election. In each case, the caller has asked who the other party is planning to vote for in the Post 2 election — Chuck Lehman, Bruce Perlman or Dan Tennant.

Some of those who answered either Lehman or Tennant have said that they were then asked if they would change their vote if they found out that Lehman or Tennant were largely backed by a developer, and if the fact that Perlman has refused to receive money from developers would influence that vote.

Kent Sisler, Tennant's campaign manager, received one such call Monday night. He said that when asked, “Would you still vote for Mr. Tennant if you knew his largest campaign contributor was a large builder/developer in Peachtree City,” he replied that he knew for a fact it was not true, at which time the caller hung up without identification.

Tennant fired off an angry letter that appeared in Wednesday's edition of the Citizen, in which he called the pollsters' comments “boldfaced lies fabricated by one of my challengers and telemarketed to Peachtree City.”

Tennant went on to say in the letter that his largest contributor is Coll Bowen, a friend who owns a cemetery in Atlanta and gave Tennant $1,000. Campaign contribution records obtained at City Hall confirmed that Bowen is Tennant's largest contributor.

The only contributor remotely connected to development, according to Tennant, is Jeff Brown, another friend who “owns his own small hardwood flooring business in Peachtree City” and gave $150.

When contacted Wednesday by The Citizen, Sisler confirmed that Tennant's account of the phone call in his letter was completely accurate - “almost verbatim.”

Another Tennant supporter, Carolyn Wakeman, reported getting a call Tuesday afternoon from a woman who said she was gathering data for a media poll. The same question was asked about who Wakeman would vote for in the election.

Wakeman said she was then asked, “Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for him [Tennant] if you knew his largest contributor was a land developer?” The caller also asked, “Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for Bruce Perlman if you knew he was not accepting any money from developers?”

Wakeman said that she asked if the caller was working for the Perlman campaign, and the caller said yes.

“I think it's very misleading,” Wakeman said of the telephone tactics. “I hope it's not intentional, but I'm afraid it is.”

Diane Young told The Citizen Wednesday afternoon that she told a caller Monday night of her intentions of voting for Lehman, at which time she was asked if Lehman receiving money from a developer and Perlman refusing to do so would change her vote.

Lehman has received a $500 cash contribution and in-kind contributions totalling $200 from Bob Adams Homes of Tyrone, according to campaign contribution records. Lehman has openly admitted this, saying that he has worked closely for several years with Adams on plans for the Walt Banks Road/Ga. Highway 54 corner, which is literally in Lehman's backyard. The contribution was not solicited, Lehman said.

Tennant and Lehman went to Perlman's medical office Wednesday morning to meet with him about these developments, and Lehman reported speaking to Perlman in his office and asking him to “lay off,” pointing out that Lehman is his own largest contributor.

Tennant said that he arrived a few minutes after Lehman and Perlman refused to see him. He reported Perlman's receptionist as saying, “He has nothing to say to you.”

Lehman confirmed that Perlman refused to speak to Tennant, although he did not say why.

Pearlman has refused to be interviewed for this article, or about the campaign in general, saying that he did not feel it was appropriate.

He did send a fax to the Citizen showing a record of a contribution to Tennant's 1995 campaign from John Proffitt of Peachtree City, who Perlman said is a developer.

Tennant ran as a last-minute write-in candidate in 1995 against Jim Pace, who is stepping down at the end of this term and will be succeeded by the winner of this race.

Campaign disclosure reports show that Perlman has retained Landmark Communications of Duluth at a cost of $1,175 for consulting work on his campaign. According to the disclosure, Landmark has been used mainly to help with brochures.

A representative of Landmark, when contacted Wednesday by the Citizen, could not comment beyond what is disclosed in the official campaign contribution records.

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