Cummings resignation "triggered" Record report

By TOM RUE

MONTICELLO - By cooperating in the creation of a private consultant's report critical of mayor Robert Friedland -- and by not reporting the news in a timely fashion after learning of it -- the Middletown Times Herald-Record became part of the story, according to Friedland.

"It's very odd that it took two and a half months to surface," Friedland asserted.

In the course of investigating of Friedland, investigator Jimmy Hargrove spoke to public officials and a reporter who broke the story of Friedland's February 8 phone call to Brennan.

Staff writer Tristam Korten of The Times Herald-Record submitted to an interview on April 20, according to Hargrove, stating he learned of the conversation between Friedland and police chief Michael Brennan as early as February 9.

Under the NYS reporter's shield law, courts have limited the ability of government to reach into the newsroom in evidence gathering proceedings. Korten's assistance in the creation of the Hargrove report was voluntary.

The Times Herald-Record did not report on the incident in the news until April 12. Korten reportedly told Hargrove he got "side-tracked." He admitted he knew about the tape for two months and did not report it.

Korten said his renewed interest in reporting the news story about Friedland's attempt to get his son a job on the police force -- two months after the fact -- was influenced by former village manager William Cummings' resignation. "It was this resignation which triggered his [Korten's] renewed interest," Hargrove wrote.

Korten protected the identity of two confidential sources whom he said informed him of the existence of the tape-recording in early February.

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