Political calls weren't from Herald-Leader By Beverly Fortune, Lexington Herald-Leader Staff Writer, May 16, 2006 It wasn't us calling! Today, local voters received phone calls that their caller-ID showed to be (859) 231-3270, from the Lexington Herald-Leader. When they answered, it was an automated phone message from Congressman Ben Chandler urging them to vote for Carol Angel, running for Fayette County clerk against incumbent Don Blevins. Many who received the message called or e-mailed the Herald-Leader to complain. But the caller-ID imprint apparently was a technological goof. "We've nothing to do with this," said Mechealle Hanks, the Herald-Leader's director of technology. The number is a Herald-Leader number, "but it is an inactive number," she said. As soon as the error was detected, Hanks contacted Alltel, which removed the Herald-Leader name from the 231-3270 number "so we don't get blamed for this." Hanks said wherever the calls were originating, "It was that telephone system that made the error when it sent out the number." Dale Emmons, Democratic political consultant to Angel's campaign, said the mistake was corrected "as soon as we were made aware. I mean within minutes." The number that should have been displayed on caller ID was Angel's campaign headquarters. "I take responsibility for the mistake," Emmons said. "I want to assure the Lexington Herald that this was not done deliberately." A spokeswoman for Chandler said she did not know why he weighed in on the Angel campaign. Emmons managed to see some humor in the error. "All the conspiracy theorists can run wild through the streets of Lexington tonight," he said, laughing. "The irony of all this is that the Herald-Leader endorsed Don Blevins and they're accusing you all of being for Carol Angel."