Updated: Commissioners seek answers to county website political link

Highland County commissioners Shane Wilkin and Tom Horst met with Tim Hamilton of Greystone Systems, Inc. Thursday evening at the county commissioners' office after a link to a political campaign advertisement was placed on the Highland County Board of Commissioners' public website.

After being contacted by local residents regarding a link at http://www.co.highland.oh.us – which is a taxpayer-funded public office website – The Highland County Press contacted Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins, County Commission President Shane Wilkin and County Commission Vice President Tom Horst.

On Thursday, Nov. 1, online visitors to the county commissioners' home page at: http://www.co.highland.oh.us/Department%20Home%20Pages/Commissioners.ht…, would see a group photo of the three commissioners, Wilkin, Horst and Jeremy Shaffer. Beneath the photo were the names and links for each commissioner.

The links for commissioners Shaffer and Wilkin would take the user to the commissioners' respective public e-mail addresses. However, the link for commissioner Tom Horst would direct the user to Horst's political campaign flier and website.

When contacted by The Highland County Press on Thursday afternoon, Collins viewed the website and the link to Horst's political website. She said that was not an appropriate use of the county website.

"It is a very serious situation," Collins said.

On Monday, current commission clerk Beth Bell said in e-mail exchanges with all three commissioners, the county prosecutor and The Highland County Press, that only she and former clerk Deb Sansone had access.

"Prior to mid-January 2012, Clerk Debbie Sansone maintained the county website," Bell said. "After Debbie left the clerk position, I began to maintain the site."

Bell said the user name and password were not changed after Sansone left the county office.

In light of that information, commissioners were asked again Monday: Since it appears the commissioners' office has determined that only two employees had access to the website user name and password, has there been any determination of how the political link was placed on the county website?

Commissioners have had no comment on the matter. However, Horst's campaign website was disabled over the weekend.

As previously reported, on Thursday evening, Wilkin said he was on his way to the commissioners' office to meet with Horst and Greystone Systems.

Commissioner Shaffer said he was not called to the office on Thursday and only learned of the situation after reading about it on The Highland County Press website.

Wilkin said that commission clerk Beth Bell "does most of the uploading" to the commissioners' website.

All three commissioners said that Thursday was the first time they were aware of the political link from the county website.

Horst said on Thursday that he, Wilkin and Bell, along with Greystone Systems were looking into how the political link was placed on the county website.

"We have no idea, yet," Horst said on Thursday evening. "Tim Hamilton and Beth are looking at it."

Tim Hamilton of Greystone Systems, Inc., told the Highland County Press that the network is secure and confirmed there were no signs of criminal hacking.

Horst said, "I have never clicked on it," (his link at the commissioners' website).

"We have called Debbie (Sansone, the former commissioners' clerk)," Horst said. "Beth said she never really looked at it – it was set up when she came on (as clerk). Today is the first day any of us saw it. I didn't even know you could click (on our names)."

When asked if law enforcement or an independent investigator had been called, Horst said: "We haven't gotten that far."

Requests for comments to Highland County Board of Elections officials Kay Ayres and Dinah Phillips were not returned prior to the removal of the online link.

The link was disabled at approximately 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1. Commissioners said they did not know how long the political link had been active. 

On Friday, Horst said he reported the incident to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio and to the Ohio Elections Commission.