HOWELL— An Internet message board that is owned and operated by a private individual was the subject of an anonymous email that was sent to Howell’s mayor and Township Council.
The author of the email called on government officials to take action against the message board.
Greater Media Newspapers has filed an Open Public Records Act request with Howell, seeking a copy of the anonymous email. As of press time, the township had not responded to the OPRA request.
During the June 14 council meeting, Mayor Robert Walsh read what he said was an anonymous email. He read the email during a public hearing that was being held on an ordinance that did not pertain to message boards, the Internet or any other type of technology.
The email targeted a privately owned Internet site that has Howell in its Web address. Individuals are permitted by the owner of the website to post messages about municipal topics in Howell, as well as messages about other topics of interest to the public.
The privately owned website has no connection to the municipality.
Walsh read from a paper that he said stated, “I would like to bring to your attention the Howell community message board which appears to the public at large representative of the township of Howell. The administrator and others have posted or allowed to be posted hateful rants by people of a decidedly hateful opinion of conservative views as well as people of faith.
“A group of us are concerned that the use of the name Howell in our community message board implies or has implicit permission of Howell Township and based on this we are exploring a possible lawsuit against the township from amongst other things institutionalized discrimination against people of faith … that is unabashedly expressed on this website,” Walsh read into the record from the paper.
According to Walsh, the email also stated, “While our personal views may be hateful and distasteful, we would agree she (the owner of the message board) has a right to express her personal views, as ignorant as they are, we believe that by using the name of Howell Township in her website she is now representing the entire community and that hate speech cannot be tolerated as representative of all the Howell Township taxpayers. We will consider no further actions if the name of the township is removed from the site. Respectfully yours, Citizens for a Better Howell.”
The website and message board in question is owned by Kathy Baratta of Freehold Township. Baratta is a former staff writer for Greater Media Newspapers.
Baratta, who is the administrator of her website, said she has no idea why Walsh felt it was necessary to read the email during a public hearing on an ordinance that had nothing to do with the Internet, message boards, websites, or any other technology.
“It seemed like an incoherent rant that was applicable of nothing,” she said. “I want anyone to tell me what point he was trying to make.”
Baratta noted there are two other message boards on the Internet that use Howell in theirWeb address. She said her message board is privately owned.
“Why was my board singled out? Is it because I allow [members] to express themselves? I may hold people to a higher standard than two other boards, but that just means I have a high standard,” she said.
Baratta said Walsh is a registered user on her website and posts comments on the message board every once in a while.
“When it suits his purpose he comes on the board and says whatever it is he wants to say,” she said.
Baratta said the posts on her website are opinions from the public, and she reiterated her concern as to why Walsh felt the need to make an anonymous email public.
The home page of Baratta’s Internet website states, “This website is for entertainment purposes only. The postings on this website are the personal thoughts and opinions of the individual members and not those of the owners. The website and its contents are the intellectual property of the owners. [The website] makes no claim as to confirm nor deny the accuracy or validity of the content posted by the individual members and therefore cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or false statements made by said members …”
During the council meeting, Walsh noted his disappointment with people who he said have been making false accusations and trying to slander Howell for years.
He asked the public to be respectful to the people and to the township of Howell when approaching the council during public comment sessions.
“Don’t we all have respect and decency in us without making false accusations?” Walsh said after reading what he called the anonymous email. “This town has been getting a black eye for years.”
Baratta said she is seeking an attorney’s advice and has no plan at this time to change the name of her website.
“This is still the home of the free,” she said. “Maybe not so much the home of the brave, given that whoever the individual is [who wrote the email Walsh read], they did not have the guts to sign their name.”
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