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Resident accuses elected official of deleting meeting video; official says recording no longer exists
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Summary
During public participation, a resident asked why most of a recorded meeting video was missing. The elected official acknowledged deleting the file and said only a 1 minute, 26 second excerpt remained after attempting to share it with another resident.
A Huntington Township resident said an elected official deleted most of a recorded public meeting and asked for an explanation during the meeting’s public participation period.
Marie (last name not specified), identified in the meeting transcript as a resident and public commenter, asked Laura Hoke, who the transcript identifies as an elected official, about a video Hoke recorded of a prior meeting. Marie said she had requested a copy and that only 1 minute and 26 seconds of footage had been provided. Marie asked, “I’d like to know what happened to the like, the other 11 minutes.”
Hoke acknowledged stopping the recording and later deleting the file. According to the transcript, Hoke said she had tried to send the video to another resident, Susie, because Susie has trouble hearing; when Susie received it, the file contained only the short snippet. Hoke told Marie, “It doesn’t exist anymore,” and later said, “I deleted it.” Marie pressed for an explanation and said the deletion raised concerns about the handling of township records and requested clarification about the missing footage. Hoke responded that she had deleted the recording and the exchange ended without more detail; the meeting record does not indicate further administrative action taken at that time.
Why it matters: Recordings of public meetings may be part of township records. A resident’s allegation that an elected official deleted a recording prompted questions about compliance with public-records expectations and about the town’s process for preserving meeting records.
Details from the exchange Marie asked what happened to the missing footage and whether the elected official had recorded the entire meeting. The transcript records Marie saying she believed Hoke had taped the whole meeting and that most of the footage was missing when requested. Hoke told Marie she had turned the recording off and deleted the file after attempting to share it.
The meeting record shows other participants briefly intervening; Pat Davis and others were present during the exchange. The transcript includes Marie’s remark that the township attorney had been referenced previously; Marie said the attorney and Pat had not explained the situation in the right-to-know request. The transcript does not show further follow-up steps or any formal referral to the township attorney or records custodian during the meeting.
Ending The public comment ended after the exchange; the transcript does not record a formal investigation or immediate administrative action related to the deleted recording. The resident’s concern that a public meeting recording was deleted is a record in the meeting minutes and may prompt later clarification or an open-records request.
