By Lee Logan, Times Staff Writer Lee LoganTampa Bay Times In Print: Sunday, January 13, 2013

NEW PORT RICHEY A top Libertarian Party official accuses a Pasco GOP power broker of intimidating a young city council candidate. The Republican says the other guy's lying and that he was only enforcing party guidelines.

And you thought we were taking a break from local politics for a while.

The story begins with a phone call.

GOP state committeeman Bill Bunting spoke Tuesday afternoon with Michael Malterer, who's running on an anti-red-light camera platform for New Port Richey City Council. (Each man says the other person initiated the call.)

Here's how Bunting described the call:

Malterer asked if he could speak at one or more Republican clubs. Bunting asked Malterer's party affiliation. Malterer told Bunting he is not a registered Republican. But he said the City Council race is nonpartisan and asked what difference his affiliation makes.

"It makes a difference to us because we have party rules," Bunting recalled saying. "Unfortunately I cannot allow you to speak. Good luck on your campaign."

Malterer, 24, declined to discuss specifics of the call, saying the dispute is not relevant to his campaign. He did say Bunting's "version of events are untrue." He borrowed a phrase from retired major league baseball player Roger Clemens and said Bunting "may be misremembering."

Malterer is the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Pasco. The party's vice chairman is Alex Snitker, who ran under the party's banner for U.S. Senate in 2010.

Read more here:

Pasco GOP, Libertarian leaders exchange accusations of intimidation, lies