We were delighted to be joined by Michael Hadaller at our most recent election forum, this one held in the heart of Lewis County Commissioner District 3 in Morton.
Hadaller hopes to represent the area on the Board of Lewis County Commissioners. His presence, after turning down an opportunity to appear at a previous Chronicle forum, was most welcome.
It was a service to the very voters who will decide who will represent them, beginning with the primary election Aug. 4.
Alongside incumbent Republican Scott Brummer and Democrat challenger Zac Eckstein, Hadaller made his pitch to voters. And, by many accounts, he did a good job of answering questions, both from our reporter and members of the audience.
He was direct, honest and, in the opinion of some members of this editorial board, downright funny at times, even if his answers often lacked substance or evidence of any research.
All in all, it seemed like a great outing for the Republican candidate, who is currently wrapping up his first term as a Lewis County Public Utility District commissioner.
That’s why it was a bit perplexing, one day later, when he started helping himself to the whine.
He falsely asserted another candidate was provided the questions early in one text message to Chronicle Publisher Chad Taylor.
In another online post, he suggested he had been treated unfairly.
The offense?
Mike Hadaller was asked about his criminal history.
He wasn’t singled out. The other two candidates, Brummer and Eckstein, simply had no legal misdeeds to mention.
That’s not the case for Hadaller.
A review of publicly available court documents shows a man who has had many entanglements with the law and justice system.
From The Chronicle newsroom’s profile on Hadaller, published last week: “Public records databases confirm that Hadaller is long separated from any major legal trouble. While not exhaustive, a search of Washington state superior courts and bankruptcies show his most recent legal trouble as a bankruptcy from 2003. Any other serious legal cases occurred more than 10 years before his 1999 felony conviction for attempting to elude an officer.”
There’s more in his legal and criminal history, and if he advances past the primary to the general election, our newsroom will no doubt highlight more aspects of his life before public office.
We don’t mention his legal record to attack him. We don’t do it to make voters believe he isn’t fit for office. Indeed, voters have entrusted his leadership with the PUD. And many are prepared to vote for him for commissioner.
But it is the right of the public to know about the past misdeeds of the folks they elect to represent them. At the forum, Hadaller seemed to understand this basic fact. He chalked up his criminal history to adolescent rage and frustration specifically linked to the murders of his grandparents, Ed and Minnie Maurin, on Christmas Eve 1985.
Even though much of his criminal history was amassed during adulthood, we were certainly willing to listen to his explanation.
Like many in the audience, we were moved by Hadaller’s description of the troubled thoughts that ran through his mind in the many years after the murders, which were only solved in 2013 with the conviction of Rick Riffe. When he choked up during the forum, no one begrudged his emotions. All in all, it is — and was — understandable.
So why the sour grapes 24 hours after the forum?
We have some guesses.
Perhaps Hadaller was told he was treated unfairly by a self-described “handler.” Lynette Hoffman, a woman who claims to be a journalist while operating one of the most morally and journalistically bankrupt “newspapers” this area has ever had the displeasure of hosting, has long been an ally of Hadaller.
If bad advice was indeed the reason for Hadaller’s delayed criticism of questioning at the forum, perhaps he should consider going with his gut like he did while providing his answers.
But this isn’t really about the yellow journalism of wannabe political handlers.
This is about a candidate who claims through his campaign materials to be “tough, but fair.”
After the forum, Hadaller declined an interview request from a Chronicle reporter. With three months to the general election, he has apparently had enough questions. Unlike all four of the other candidates, he is unwilling to open himself up to questions that might hurt his feelings.
Indeed, he appears too delicate for additional inquiries.
That, or he is getting bad advice.
In either case, questions related to the criminal history of a political candidate are fair, Mike.
And, in this case, you appear anything but “tough.”
