I'm always telling you not to trust random emails--especially ones asking you to click on a link.
So when a San Tan Valley viewer sent us an odd email claiming to be from a local utility we asked whether or not it was real.
The email says that it is from Johnson Utilities, the company that provides water service for San Tan Valley. The email starts with the words "No one argues with your "right to vote". It's a fundamental freedom that should be enjoyed by all Americans. No one is stopping you from voting on anything."
From there it talks about a former Pinal County Supervisor candidate, House Bill 2088, and the state legislator sponsoring the bill.
The email says the bill is "being promoted by an egotistical self-serving individual," and accuses the lawmaker of "bullying other Representatives down at the House."
The email is intense, and goes on for several paragraphs with strong accusations. It also includes links to YouTube and other websites and ends by encouraging people to contact their legislators.
But from the accusations to the invitation to click on links we wondered if it was a hoax.
So we contacted Johnson Utilities by email. They called back acknowledging that the message was received however the company never provided an explanation or a denial after we made several attempts to get clarification.
However we did hear from the former Pinal County Supervisor candidate, Tisha Castillo. And she says, the email is no hoax.
In a statement Castillo calls the email "disappointing, infuriating, unprofessional, misleading and libelous."
The email could be the latest punch thrown in the fight about whether or not San Tan Valley should allowed to vote to incorporate and become a city. Right now the legislature is considering House Bill 2088, which would change current state law and allow it. Representative Eddie Farnsworth sponsored the bill and tells me several people have sent him the email too.
"The information included in the email regarding me is inflammatory and certainly not accurate," Farnsworth said.
Castillo says days after its release the company issued a retraction on it's website but did not send it out via email. Johnson Utilities website acknowledges an update saying, "This report replaces the email, newsletter, website and Facebook posting, now deleted, of February 6, 2016, which addressed incorporation and H.B. 2088. Though all discussions in the earlier communications are well sourced the overall discussion was too opinionated; we hope to adopt the Sgt. Joe Friday approach, “Just the facts ma’am, just the facts,” in these reports of issues of interest to our community and rate payers. Therefore, we retract the earlier communication and look forward to a more focused continued dialog regarding issues."
The bill is currently on it's way to the Senate.
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