Parks' campaign hits back at Ridley-Thomas

The campaign of Bernard Parks claimed that its opponent for an open seat on the County Board of Supervisors, state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, is attacking Parks in an attempt to distract the media and voters from Ridley-Thomas' ties to former SEIU President Tyrone Freeman, who is currently under federal investigation for misuse of union dues.
 
Ridley-Thomas has been attacking Parks, an L.A. City Councilman, for registering with the American Independent Party in the past, something the Parks side has said was an accident.

"This is an attempt to distract people from this investigation," said Parks' son, Bernard Parks, Jr. "His friend and supporter Tyrone Freeman is being accused of criminal acts by both the federal government and the union that fired him."
 
Ridley-Thomas' campaign has sought to make an issue out of Parks' registration records, using the mistake to question Parks' Democratic credentials.
 
Parks, Jr., however, said his father has always voted Democrat, regardless of his official party affiliation.
 
The Parks campaign says it is their opponent who has some explaining to do. They point out that Ridley-Thomas paid $2,400 this summer to an organization called "Continuing the Republican Revolution" to have his name listed on a flier praising Ronald Reagan.

EARLIER on PolitickerCA.com:

• Parks registered twice for American Independent Party