Civic officials and a spokesperson for Covance said a local animal rights activist was disingenuous and hiding an agenda when she asked her supporters to start a letter-writing campaign but told them not to reveal their cause.
Elected leaders say they didn't appreciate a May 5 e-mail sent by Jan McClellan to constituents, opposing a political action committee's request to recall councilmembers Matt Orlando and Martin Sepulveda for their role in the ouster of former City Manager Mark Pentz. McClellan who is the president of Citizens Against Covance (CAC), implored constituents and supporters to write letters to Chandler's elected body and local media not to support the recall efforts.
"As you know, having a balanced and objective City Council is critical to our fight to stop Covance," McClellan wrote. "With the departure of (Phil) Westbrooks and (Donna) Wallace at the end of this term, our council will inevitably be unbalanced."
McClellan also implored supporters not to mix their causes.
"Please DO NOT mention Covance or ANY ANIMAL RIGHTS issue in your letters," McClellan instructed. "It will only hurt our cause."
Huggins said Monday the e-mail has already hurt their cause in his view, especially the group's integrity
"It definitely puts a black cloud over their integrity," Huggins said. "But it won't make me cynical. I still plan on giving them a fair shake."
Dunn also said he was very disappointed by the correspondence. "I don't know why any group would hide their identity or approach the issue in a false manner." Dunn said Tuesday. "It's unfortunate and it doesn't sit well with me."
McClellan said Monday that she's not hiding an agenda, which has always remained the same. "Our only agenda is that we don't want Covance here in Chandler," McClellan said. "We don't want our community to be in danger. That's the real issue here."
McClellan has maintained that Covance, a drug-testing firm who is looking to build a 400,000-square-foot facility and first stage animal lab near Price and Germann roads in Chandler, has a history of animal abuse and is bad fit for Chandler's family image.
Camilla Strongin, spokesperson for Covance, said McClellan's e-mail only confirms her suspicions about McClellan and the "smoke and mirrors" nature of animal activism. "Our position has been all along that Citizens Against Covance has always tried to hide their true identity and its agenda," Strongin said. "To have a philosophical debate about animal rights is fine and encouraged by us, but if we're going to have that discussion, let's be truthful and not lie. In her e-mail, she's encouraging people to lie."
Councilman Bob Caccamo said he was more concerned over the fact that McClellan's e-mail contained specific information about former City Manager Donna Dreska's separation agreement, which was executed in a 2002 executive session.
"The whole letter sounds like they got their information from the fearsome foursome," Caccamo said in reference to councilmembers Matt Orlando, Martin Sepulveda, Donna Wallace and Vice Mayor Phil Westbrooks. "It disturbs me that information in an executive session found its way to the public."
Wallace said the information about Dreska's separation agreement was recently made public in a council memo that compared her compensation to Pentz's. "I would never comment on something that occurred in executive session," Wallace said Tuesday. "It just wouldn't happen."
Strongin contends that McClellan presents herself as a concerned Chandler resident but is a veteran animals right activist with ties to several groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
McClellan, 56, admitted she is an activist and supports many causes.
"Covance can say whatever they want about me but I've defended gay rights, civil rights, women's rights and the rights of all minority and exploited groups," McClellan said. "It's something I've done my whole life."
Before moving to Chandler in 2002, McClellan said she's participated in several animal protest groups, including a stint as the Phoenix chapter co-coordinator of the Animal Defense League of Arizona.
She is also a former member of Animal Emancipation, Inc., a group in which McClellan served as special projects coordinator.
"The common theme among these groups is that they always have the same players and they front for each other," Strongin said. " It's the same way a lot of terrorist groups operate."
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