Dirty Trick by Any Other Name Still Reeks

It’s the kind of thing that makes men look like small-minded, petulant schoolboys when, in fact, only 29.3% of us are.

Even allowing for the things politicians do in the 11th hour of campaigns, the tawdry stunt pulled by Santa Ana Councilman Brett Franklin and former Assemblyman Jim Morrissey is rank.

Franklin is up for reelection and one of his opponents is longtime Santa Ana neighborhood activist Michele Morrisey. As I’m writing this late Tuesday, I don’t know how the race turned out.

Morrisey (Michele, that is) says a flier went out Friday in which Morrissey (Jim, that is) endorsed Franklin.

Fair enough, but here’s how the flier began:

“Dear Santa Ana citizen,

“I am writing to you about the Santa Ana City Council race in Ward 3. A woman is running who is trading on my name.”

The flier then notes that “Michelle Morrissey is a liberal Democrat who was a paid employee of my Democrat opponent. I want you to know I am supporting [Franklin], a solid businessman and lifelong Republican.”

The flier then urged citizens to vote, saying “the integrity of your city council is at stake.” It concluded with, “Don’t be misled. Vote for [Franklin], the honest candidate in Ward 3.”

It was signed “Assemblyman Jim Morrissey, retired.”

Morrisey (Michele, that is) is ticked off, and not just because the flier misspelled both her names. Or because Morrissey endorsed Franklin.

Trading on Jim Morrissey’s name?

Michele Morrisey is a marketing consultant and has lived in Santa Ana for 20 years. She’s been a community activist for much of that time and has always used her maiden name, rather than that of her husband, John MacDowell.

“It seems many times when women run for office, they’re called on the use of their own name, whether it be their maiden name or married name or divorced name or family name,” she said. “I’ve been Michele Morrisey for 44 years. My parents are Bob and Mary Jane Morrisey. For someone to say I’m trading on his name, it’s my name. I was sort of amused and indignant at the same time.”

Morrisey said her parents worked telephone banks and were sometimes asked by potential voters if she was related to Jim Morrissey. They were told no, she says. Jim Morrissey represented the 69th Assembly District, which includes Santa Ana, for two terms after his election in 1994.

Something else is at work here. Although Santa Ana council races are nonpartisan, Morrissey’s flier invoked party affiliation.

Just wondering if that’s because Morrisey (Michele, that is) has worked for Lou Correa, the Democrat who ousted Morrissey in 1998.

Know what? I bet there’s a connection.

Typical of late hit pieces, Morrisey (Michele, that is) couldn’t do much about it. She sent a hot fax to the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, asking it to retract its endorsement of Franklin. By the time I talked to her on Tuesday, she realized that had been a futile gesture.

I couldn’t reach Franklin, but did speak Tuesday with Morrissey (Jim, that is), who was helping out at a local GOP office.

He confirmed the flier. “I just told Brett that people were asking me if she [Michele Morrisey] was my daughter or my wife,” Morrissey said. “I said: ‘She’s no relation.’ Most people thought it was my daughter. Then, I was told that someone was calling up Republicans and saying she was Michele Morrisey’s mother, and people thought it was my wife, Margaret.”

I’d cut Franklin and Morrissey (Jim, that is) some slack if they had any indication that Michele Morrisey had passed herself off as related to him.

Morrissey (Jim, that is) said he had no indication of that. Doesn’t that suggest, I asked him, only that Republicans wondered, logically enough, if she was related to him--not that she had misled them for political advantage.

“I don’t want to argue about it,” Morrissey said. “I’m just saying these Republicans thought she was my daughter.”

I’ll assume he knows that’s hardly the same as wondering if she was his daughter, a distinction that apparently didn’t trouble the consciences of either Franklin or Morrissey (Jim, that is).

Maybe these two gentlemen don’t see the inherent sexism, the inherent unfairness and the inherent political sleaze in their flier.

It calls Franklin the “honest candidate” in Ward 3.

Let’s talk honesty. The flier refers to Morrissey as “retired.”

Yeah, he’s retired--because he lost his seat in 1998. He’s retired in the way that either Al Gore or George W. Bush will be “retired” as of today.

Fellas, please.

Redeem yourselves.

You owe Michele Morrisey an apology.

This may pain you to hear, but that would be the manly thing to do.

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Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers may reach Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821 or by e-mail to dana.parsons@latimes.com.