A candidate for Island County commissioner recently notified her opponents and supporters that a series of emails with derogatory comments were not from her campaign.
Marie Shimada, a Democrat seeking the District 1 position, said she was shocked, saddened and a little scared that someone would send out offensive emails falsely purporting to be from her.
“It’s not something I would expect of Island County,” she said. “It’s not something I would expect of Whidbey Island. It’s not the beliefs that resonate with me or my supporters.”
Shimada stressed that she doesn’t believe any other candidate is involved in the cyber impersonations. Current Commissioner Melanie Bacon, a Democrat, is seeking reelection and two Republicans, Wanda Grone and Steve Myres, announced their intentions to run. She told them about the issue so they wouldn’t think she would be involved in something so negative and odd.
She said she’s dedicated to running a positive campaign without any mudslinging.
Shimada said she and her campaign staff reported the faux emails to the Island County Sheriff’s Office, the county auditor, the state Public Disclosure Commission and the FBI. They are also contacting an attorney to see what their options are.
According to the Island County Prosecutor’s Office, the person or people who sent out the fraudulent emails may have committed the crime of criminal impersonation in the first degree, which is a class C felony.
Shimada said she is aware of four different versions of malicious emails, which appeared to be sent through an encryption service. They were distributed after she posted a message to supporters, pointing out that she, if elected, would be the first person of color to serve on the board of commissioners. She describes herself as “a mixed-race individual who is both Hispanic and Asian American.”
“Why is this issue important?” her letter asks. “Because research suggests that children of color experience mental flexibility leading to more creative problem-solving skills in life, priming them for leadership opportunities and better relations with others.”
The fake emails, on the other hand, use offensive language and makes it seem that she doesn’t like old people or white people, which she said is far from the truth. In fact, she explained that the reason she wrote about her race was to spread a message of inclusiveness.
“It’s just heartbreaking that my message got twisted,” she said.
The FBI for years has warned about fraudulent emails related to political campaigns, particularly donation scams. The federal government and security services have warned that artificial intelligence may be used to create fake political messages for malicious reason, such as the recent fake robocalls from the president that made national news.
