Pratts question Hampton coverage

By Joshua Bassett

During the public participation portion of a Hampton Town Board meeting last week, Arnie Pratt and his uncle Doran Pratt questioned why the Granville Sentinel was present at the meeting.

“You can’t tell the press where they can and can’t go,” responded town supervisor Dave O’Brien. “This is a public meeting and they’re welcome to be here.”

The Pratts said they felt that The Sentinel covers Hampton more than any other town or village in the area.

“Why aren’t you covering Granville?” said Artie Pratt, who also questioned whether the Sentinel covers Hebron.

Asked by the reporter if he was referring to the town or the village, Pratt responded “both.” The reporter noted that the Sentinel was present at both of Granville’s last town and village board meetings. He mentioned a story about the recent Granville town board meeting at which a petition was presented about the Mettowee Extreme Sports Park, to which Matt Pratt said: “I remember seeing that.”

Doran and Artie Pratt also asked the Sentinel why O’Brien is, in their opinion, frequently featured in the Sentinel. Doran Pratt said he felt the paper only began covering Hampton once O’Brien was in office.

Doran Pratt also questioned highway superintendent Herb Sady’s report that the department spent $1,500 for brake repairs on a department truck, saying that he had offered to fix the brakes himself and save the taxpayers some money. O’Brien said that Sady has a fund for repairs.

“It’s not his money, it’s mine,” said Doran Pratt.

O’Brien said the town appreciated the offer but only town employees are covered under liability insurance if something were to happen.

Doran Pratt has been at odds with Sady since last year, when his brother, Malcolm Pratt, a town employee at the time, was disciplined for allegedly taking some wood the town had cut on Hills Pond Road in the wake of a storm that toppled trees throughout the town, in violation of town policy. Sady retrieved wood from both Malcolm Pratt’s property and Doran Pratt’s property. Malcolm Pratt claimed some of the wood taken belonged to him and the town relented and returned it to the Pratts.

Rather than accept the discipline meted out – suspension without pay for two weeks, and six months’ probation – for disobeying orders – Malcom Pratt resigned the job he had held for four years. O’Brien tried to present Pratt with a plaque for his years of service, but Pratt refused to accept it.