Poway councilman facing recall election charged with bribery, perjury

Tony Blain Photo courtesy of city of Poway Prosecutors filed multiple felony charges Friday against a Poway city councilman Two of the charges are connected to key city votes Councilman Tony Blain who already is facing recall in the city s Nov special ballot is charged with two counts of bribery in addition to perjury and destruction or removal of a masses record according to a criminal complaint filed by the San Diego County District Attorney s Office The bribery counts against Blain identified in the filing under his full name Arthur Anthony Blain IV pertain to assertions of vote trading to determine city council roles In the complaint prosecutors accuse Blain of agreeing to vote in favor of appointing Councilmember Peter De Hoff as deputy mayor in exchange for De Hoff s vote in favor of holding a special vote rather than making an appointment to fill a council seat vacancy Blain is charged both with soliciting a bribe in general and from a member of a legislative body of a city He also is accused of perjuring himself on Sept in a sworn complaint to the state s Fair Political Practices Commission Prosecutors contend he falsely represented in disclosed sworn complaint that he was a current city councilman in the City of Poway prior to having been elected to that position Blain was elected to represent Poway s District in the November general polling He also prosecutors contend sometime between Dec and the middle of last month knowingly destroyed communications relating to city business that were subject to disclosure under the California Community Records Act and took affirmative policies to evade compliance with that Act The fifth charge petty theft is a misdemeanor count related to the alleged theft of a campaign sign Mayor Steve Vaus revealed he was not at all surprised by the charges against Blain selected of which stem from the aftermath of former Councilman Brian Pepin s resignation Councilman Christopher Pikus was ultimately appointed to the seat These are very serious charges and while it s a complicated moment for the city our commitment to integrity and transparency won t waver he declared Blain did not return a call seeking comment the District Attorney s Office also did not respond to a query regarding the matter In January Blain stated in a declaration that accusations regarding emails allegedly sent to De Huff were part of an effort to defame an extremely popular newly elected councilmember Voters in Poway sought Blain s removal from office a campaign that resulted in Blain s council colleagues voting - in August to call a special electoral contest Vaus noted District voters shouldn t let the criminal charges dissuade them from casting their ballots The recall really is more vital than ever Vaus announced