Community Corner

Town, Website Dispute Caught on Tape

Site posts overheard conversation but town says site has it wrong.

An overheard conversation has provoked a spat between the operators of The Huntingtonian website and the town's public information officer.

After A.J. Carter returned a call about rental issues to one of the website's operators, the line didn't fully disconnect when he hung up. That led to a recording of conversations Carter and others had immediately afterward. 

The Huntingtonian posted the recording and claims that "scheming" and "collusion" were going on, and poses the question about whether the conversations were "political in nature which could be in violation of the law" because it occurred at Town Hall during working hours.

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The call occurred Oct.7 but the recording and story were posted Wednesday.

Carter denied the accusations in a stern letter sent to the website late Thursday afternoon. He disputes several aspects of the story but especially the website claims that  "A.J. Carter says that 'Frank' had been telling him to delay FOIL’s as long as possible. (It is likely that he is referring to Town Supervisor Frank Petrone)."

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But Carter wrote, "In particular, at 1:07 into the recording, you will hear me say, clearly and unambiguously, 'Frank wants me to respond to these FOILs right away.' This is the exact opposite of what you state the tape says. I ask that you retract this falsehood immediately. Failure to do so will be evidence of malice as defined by the law." 

Several playbacks of the audio support Carter's version.

"I must demand that in the future, the Huntingtonian refrain from publishing false and libelous claims and that if it wishes to be considered a journalistic enterprise, that it adhere to accepted journalistic standards of accuracy and fairness," his letter concludes.


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