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San Jose City Council, District 6 Hate Bait [March 7, 2000, 12:00pm]    Ever since he decided to run for city council, Ken Yeager has been waiting for someone to attack him for being gay. When he ran for Assembly in 1996, an opponent sent a thinly veiled homophobic mailer that Yeager supporters still believe cost him the election. This week Yeager's fears came true. On Monday, Willow Glen residents received a hand-delivered anonymous homemade flyer "exposing" Yeager's sexual orientation. The flyer features a photocopied political ad from the March 5, 1996 edition of OutNOW!, a gay periodical, which says, "Help elect the first openly gay man to the state legislature. Ken Yeager--Democrat for Assembly." On the edge of the flyer, its anonymous author warns, "This openly gay man is running for City Council seat #6 in San Jose! Know who you are voting for when you mark your ballot on March 7, 2000!" Denelle Fedor, Yeager's campaign coordinator, says that she confronted the man distributing the flyers, who claimed to also be handing out material for Proposition 22, the initiative banning gay marriage. Fedor says she was unable to find out the identity of the person who created the flyer. Representatives for the race's two other top contenders, neighborhood activist Kris Cunningham and police officer Jim Spence, adamantly denied any involvement. Fedor tried to downplay her concerns about the flyer's impact, saying, "It's not a big deal." But sources close to the campaign say Fedor and Yeager were privately very worried about news of the gay-bashing flyer spreading. A Yeager ally, fearing repercussions at the polls today, tried to persuade Eye on Monday night not to publish anything concerning the flyer. Although Yeager doesn't hide his sexual orientation, the San Jose State professor hasn't promoted it during his city council campaign, which has emphasized his academic and environmental credentials. Privately, local pundits have wondered whether a gay candidate--even one with the support of Mayor Ron Gonzales and a $90,000 campaign warchest--could win in a council district that includes the relatively conservative neighborhoods of Willow Glen and Rose Garden. [ San Jose | MetroActive Central | Archives ]