EX-MAYOR FILES MAILER COMPLAINT ARMY SYSTEM USED TO SEND LETTERS.

Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Former Mayor Jan Heidt, who lost her quest last week for a seat on a local water board, filed a complaint with the state about the 1,200 campaign mailers her opponent's son sent from Iraq using the Army's free mail system.

In a letter to the state Fair Political Practices Commission, Heidt asked for an investigation, urging the commission to ``take a stand on this issue.''

In a mailer sent from Iraq days before the Nov. 7 election, Army Reserve Lt. Alan Colley asked voters to support his father, Ed Colley, in his successful bid for re-election to the Castaic Lake Water Agency board.

Alan Colley used free military postage, prompting complaints that he misused taxpayer funds.

``This is a question of honor, integrity and honesty,'' said Heidt, a Navy veteran. ``And if those three things really matter, then the FPPC will do something about it.''

The U.S. Postal Service received about 1,200 pieces of military mail from Alan Colley, and it delivered them to residents in the Canyon Country area, Postal Service spokesman Larry Dozier said.

The Postal Service is not looking into whether the mailers were improper use of free Army postage, leaving that for the military to decide, he said.

Ed Colley's race against Heidt was by far the closest race among the four contested seats on the CLWA board. He won with nearly 53 percent of the vote, or 7,316 votes to Heidt's 6,507 votes.

Alan Colley, who was assigned to a unit in Iraq charged with delivering mail for soldiers, is on leave from the military and unavailable for comment, his father said.

Ed Colley defended his son against Heidt's criticism.

``I think that's a pretty vicious accusation for her to make, just because she's bitter that she lost an election,'' Ed Colley said. ``For her to make such an accusation against a fellow officer, it's really uncalled for.''

Ed Colley also had a career in the military, and is an ROTC instructor at Valencia High.

Representatives from the FPPC and the Army Criminal Investigation Command said regulations prevent them from commenting on whether the mailer is being investigated.

Ed Colley raised about $25,000 for his campaign, and Heidt's total war chest was about $5,800. Allan Colley's letters indicated he had paid for them.

``I certainly don't think that my campaign has done anything improper,'' Ed Colley said. ``And I think that my son, I don't think he's done anything improper.''

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

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