A campaign mailing delivered yesterday from Democrat Tim O'Neill has infuriated his opponent, Sheriff James Kralik, because it attributes charges the challenger made to The Journal News as reported fact.
The O'Neill flier mailed to Rockland voters states, "As the Journal News reported, to appease some political supporters, Kralik lobbied to have a Pennsylvania man convicted of homicide by vehicle transported to the Rockland County Jail."
O'Neill made that charge during the campaign, but Kralik denied it and further reporting determined that William Clark, the chief of the Rockland County jail, was the one who wrote a letter to the judge in Pennsylvania and accepted the prisoner, Ben Klein of Monsey.
Kralik last night again denied getting involved in the Klein case.
Kralik accused O'Neill of lying to the public and "soiling my integrity." Kralik challenged O'Neill repeatedly to provide proof that he lobbied for Klein to be transferred to Rockland.
"What O'Neill is now using is an absolutely fabricated lie on two very specific issues," Kralik said. "One, The Journal News never did it and never got close to saying it. More importantly, I never did it."
The Journal News contacted O'Neill last night and asked him to provide proof to back up his claims.
O'Neill stood by his flier and the comments. He said The Journal News reporting independently confirmed with the New York state Department of Correctional Services that taking prisoners from out-of-state jails was illegal.
"I think The Journal News is playing semantics," O'Neill said last night when questioned about his flier. "I think the job of The Journal News is to report."
O'Neill argued Kralik as sheriff was in charge of the jail and should have known Klein was there.
"Since the reporting, Kralik continues to say he has no knowledge of Klein," O'Neill said.
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071103/NEWS03/711030394/1019/NEWS03
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