Formal complaint filed against school board candidate Nathan Williams
School board candidate Nathan Williams
Williams says he was not aware of the law
– A formal complaint was filed against Paso Robles Joint Unified School District trustee candidate Nathan Williams. He is the current board president and a candidate for Trustee Area 3.
Current school board Trustee Kenney Enney, a candidate for Trustee Area 7, filed the complaint last week with the United States Postal Service Inspection Service. The complaint alleges that Williams was placing election materials in postal mailboxes while canvassing a neighborhood in Trustee Area 3.
Federal law prohibits the deposit of unstamped mailable matter in letterboxes. Specifically, it applies to items such as circulars, offers, and campaign materials. The law targets those who knowingly and willfully deposit such items without paying postage. Violators can be fined for each offense. Charges for this type of offense are very rare.
School board candidate Kenney Enney
“On 4 Oct. 2024, Nathan Williams’ truck was observed parked next to the residence of Sharon Johnson and her tenant, Hunter Breese,” says Enney. “The following Monday, Hunter Breese was contacted by the San Luis Obispo Tribune regarding allegations that he had fraudulently registered to vote at the Red Cloud Road residence and therefore was not eligible to run for Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Area 3 Trustee.”
“Per the article, the allegations were made by an anonymous source,” Enney says. “Williams is being challenged by Hunter Breese. In interviews with both the Paso Robles Daily News and CalCoast News, Williams claims that he parked next to the Johnson/Breese residence by coincidence while he was distributing campaign materials.”
Security camera image of Nathan Williams on Red Cloud Road.
“Security camera footage showed Nathan Williams opening and closing a mailbox while campaigning in the Red Cloud Road area of Paso Robles,” Enney says. “His actions indicated potential violations of Article 18 U.S. Code § 1725 and US Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), section 508.3.1.3.”
Candidate Williams responded to the allegation, “Despite Kenney Enney’s attempt to deflect on KPRL, and now this from the allegation made against Hunter Breese and their connections, he was not wrong in that I placed some door hangers in a handful of mailboxes before I learned that was not allowed,” Willaims says.
“Of all the hangers I distributed I made the effort to place the overwhelming majority on doors and gates hoping to make personable contact with my constituents,” he says.
“I appreciate the opportunity to respond to this in this format as I choose not to engage in any of the political rhetoric or attempts to smear others like this. Mr. Enney attempted to distract from the issues they are facing and sadly there is not a juicy story there,” he says.
School board Trustee Joel Peterson, a supporter of Williams, commented on the situation, “This happens every election cycle with flyers and campaign materials,” he says. “Oftentimes, voters will not want to open their door, and ask you to put materials in their mailbox or front door. They often don’t realize campaign volunteers aren’t supposed to touch their mailbox.”
Paso Robles School Board Trustee Area Map
– Story by Publisher Scott David Brennan
