Still/Bloodsport

In the broadcast, Shade, who is running against incumbent Jennifer Kim and Ken Weiss, is accused of promising to raise the salaries of Austin police and firefighter higher-ups in exchange for their endorsements.

Shade's campaign office responded almost immediately on Saturday morning, sending out an angry press release claiming that the calls are in violation of a Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) statute that requires such messages to clearly state the identity of the person or party initiating the call. [link: pdf]

"I'm appalled by this sleazy anonymous attack," said Shade. "Regardless of whether it’s illegal, it’s despicable. Whoever is behind this owes it to Austin voters to step out the shadows right now and take responsibility for spreading these lies. If it turns out that Jennifer Kim is responsible for yet another dishonest attack, I think she'll find there's a price to pay for continuing to attempt to mislead the voters."

Kim's office fessed up to making the calls, which were meant to accompany a flier that was recently sent out to voters.

“The calls went out to the same people we sent the mail piece to," admitted campaign consultant Elliott McFadden. "We used the same language and don’t think we were being deceptive in any way. We think a reasonable person would see it as repeating what we had already said."

This afternoon, the three public safety unions involved— Austin Police Association, the Austin Firefighters Association, and the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Employees Association—teamed up to send a joint press release lambasting the allegations and demanding an apology from Council Member Kim:

"All three Public Safety Associations want to make it perfectly clear to the voters and citizens of Austin that at no time during any discussion with Randi Shade has Ms. Shade made any promises to any of the three public safety associations to increase either funding or any positions for Police, Fire, or EMS in Austin. Any claim to the contrary is nothing short of an outright lie. Council Member Jennifer Kim owes the citizens of Austin, all three Public Safety Associations, and candidate Randi Shade an apology for this dishonest campaign claim and tactic."

With less than five days until the election, things are certain to get even more heated.

You can read the actual transcript of the call, after the jump.

Related:
Better Know a Candidate: Ken Weiss
Better Know a Candidate: Randi Shade
Better Know a Candidate: Jennifer Kim

"Why is Randi Shade trying to break the bank? Hi, this is your neighbor Lisa, calling to let you know City Council candidate Randi Shade has made budget promises that could mean cuts in city services and higher taxes for you. In seeking the endorsement of police and firefighters, Shade agreed to increase funding for management positions without having seen a budget, which is now in the red. With the highest-paid public safety workers in the state, can we afford Randi Shade's promises? It's not different, and it's not Austin."