Goldy and Anna already raised questions around school board candidate Suzanne Dale Estey's independence from wealthy education "reformers" who've poured tens of thousands of dollars into her campaign coffers. Dale Estey insists she disagrees with them over charter schools—whoever they are. "I don't know my major donors," she told me after a debate last month, "but I agree with them that the status quo in Seattle Schools is not acceptable."

So I asked the donors themselves why they're supporting Dale Estey's campaign, sending queries to Jeff Raikes, the former head of the Gates Foundation, Steve Ballmer (who gave Dale Estey another $900 two weeks ago), and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, all of whom donated heavily to her campaign. All of them declined to say anything.

Apparently, Hanauer prefers to make his views known through crude attack ads on Dale Estey's rival candidate, activist Sue Peters. (The Stranger endorsed Peters.)

Great Seattle Schools PAC—funded by Hanauer and others—first sent out misleading mailers this summer. Last week, they went even lower, picking out a graphic that someone else posted on a blog to which Sue Peters contributes and claiming that it shows what's "Inside the Mind of Sue Peters." Peters, who's been out in front on issues like standardized testing and adamantly opposes to charter schools, says the ads deliberately distort her record. Here's the mailer:

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"This one is truly bizarre," says Peters on her website. "It falsely attributes to me words and images that were posted on the Seattle Education Blog last year from, I believe, the No on 1240 (anti-charter schools) campaign. The title is 'Evil Doers' and it is truly tabloid-esque. My opponent has yet to denounce the mendacious tactics of her supporters. Sadly, some people will say or pay anything to win an election."

Dale Estey, who the flip side of the mailer touts as "an excellent choice," says she saw the mailers for the first time when she opened her mail a few days ago and didn't approve them. But she doesn't condemn them. And she still has the moxie to claim she's "worked very hard to keep this campaign respectful and focused on the issues." Finally, she complains that Peters is the one making "disrespectful attacks." She doesn't say what those are.

Vote Peters.