Web Weasels, Part 2

According to an Akron Beacon Journal story -- updating this blog's report last Friday -- the Summit County Prosecutor's office is now investigating how two County Council members wound up with campaign links on their county websites.

You'll recall the original story I posted last week, and the broadcast reports on Sunday and Monday morning. Now the other shoe is dropping with both District 1's Nick Kostandaras and District 3's Louise Heydorn denying any knowledge their county-provided sites contained links to their campaign sites.

I'd give 'em a benefit of a doubt, especially after seeing quotes that putting the link up was either a "bad joke" or came on behalf of a candidate who doesn't even "know how to use a computer."

That means one of the webkins at the county took it upon themselves to add the campaign links to both a Republican and Democrat, right?

This kind of stuff usually launches theft in office charges, but since the links were taken down today (the first business day following the Columbus Day holiday period) it may be found it was just a mistake by someone who thought they were being helpful without giving any thought to the ethics of putting campaign links on a publicly-financed web site, in this case the County of Summit official pages.

Likely every other office holder right now is asking the web gurus to do what's called a "site audit" to make sure they don't slip up along these lines as well.

Nice to see sunshine will works so quickly...and the folks on Exchange and Main do pay attention to stories that don't necessarily start in their pages.

- - -
On another subject, webmaster Bryan and I are wrapping up a trip to New York where this website was honored with a national Edward R. Murrow Award. At the same time Chris Keppler of our staff was covering today's execution of Richard Cooey for the murders of Wendy Offredo and Dawn McCreery 22 years ago.

While our feet are on the ground here our hearts and thoughts are with the families Richard Cooey and Clint Dickens actions ripped apart -- including their own. Cooey went out pretty much the way I imagined he would when I interviewed him five years ago on Death Row; a man who showed no remorse, asking for no forgiveness, telling me his appeals came "because he could" and his legal defenders honored that to the end.

There are few lessons to be learned we don't already know but the chapter closes on this part of the nightmare for family and friends of two women described as vibrant and full of potential and life. The chapter closes, but the nightmare will only fade -- it never goes away.

Opponents of capital punishment say it doesn't solve the crime or bring back loved ones, but for many that isn't the argument.