BY DAVE PRICE
Daily Post Editor
The battle over a half-cent sales tax in San Carlos heated up Sunday when a supporter of the tax, Laura Teutschel, accused a tax opponent, Mark Iwanowski, of pushing her at the farmers market. But Iwanoski said it was Teutschel who was the aggressor by grabbing a woman who was speaking to him. Iwanowski, a former NFL player who is running for city council, said he lightly touched Teutschel when she was trying to pull the woman away from him.
He denied pushing anyone.
Sheriff’s deputies interviewed witnesses but haven’t cited anyone.
Iwanowski said Teutschel has done this sort of thing twice before, and he doesn’t like being harassed while trying to speak to voters.
But the Yes on G campaign, which wants voters to approve the half-cent sales tax in tomorrow’s election, issued a press release last night calling on Iwanowski to withdraw from the race and apologize to Teutschel.
“I was speaking calmly with a San Carlos voter when Mark Iwanowski pushed me and told me to get out of there,” Teutschel said, according to the press release. “I did not invite or censent to any physical contact. No woman, campaign volunteer or resident should be physically intimidated for participating in a political conversation.”
Iwanowski told the Post a different story. “I was talking to some woman who wanted to know about my position on Measure G. (Teutschel) comes up and grabs her by the arm and says, ‘Come talk to us. You know, we’ll give you the true story.’”
Iwanowski said Teutschel grabbed the woman by the arm.
“I said, ‘Laura, you can’t do that,’” Iwanowski said he recalled saying. He said Teutschel was in an area at the farmers market that is reserved for political discussions, and people are limited to how close they can get to others who are speaking. He said Teutschel violated a 10-foot limit in his case.
“After she grabbed this girl, I touched her on the arm and asked her to go away. And literally that was it,” Iwanowski said.
Measure G is a half-cent sales tax that would produce an estimated $6 million a year for the city government. The ballot language says the money would go for such things as keeping streets, sidewalks and storm drains “safe, clean and well-maintained;” fixing streets and potholes, relieving traffic congestion, supporting fire protection, paramedic services, crime prevention and 911 emergency response. The tax, if approved, would expire in 14 years.
It’s my great hope for the near future and for the good of the country that the efforts of science may be put to practical use to harness and extract the escaping energy potential of wasted gasses emitted whenever politicians open their mouths. It may be possible to power-up entire community energy grids from this often overlooked, old, unused natural resource available to mankind. They seem to be abundant and readily available in all parts of the nation.