Web Designer Used Former Boyer Domain to Endorse Challenger

If you clicked on a link to DeKalb County Commissioner Elaine Boyer's website on election night last week and found yourself staring at an endorsement for her challenger, your computer wasn't malfunctioning.

A former website for the District 1 commissioner carried an endorement of her primary challenger Larry Danese – – with the line: "Replace Elaine Boyer" and "It's Time for Better Representation."

Danese posted a note on his website on election night, saying the endorsement was the work of a web designer, Dave Carlson, who has worked for Boyer and owns the old website domain. Danese said he played no role in the site change.

"A website designer who formerly worked for Elaine Boyer has revised one of her campaign website [sic] that he owns to include information taken from my campaign. Based on how my information has been changed, the designer and I appear to agree that Boyer is not the best choice for DeKalb's District 1," Danese wrote on his homepage.

Carlson could not be reached for comment, and a spokeswoman for Boyer said last week the commissioner was out of town until Tuesday. She said the site change was the product of a Web "domain change." Boyer's website is now hosted at www.commissionerboyer.com. The Carlson-owned site is hosted at www.commissionerelaineboyer.com.

Danese said he has no relationship with Carlson.

"He called me to make me aware, not to ask my permission," he said. "I just felt like I needed to put something [on my site] that says I don't have anything to do with it. He has a issue or some kind of dispute or disagreement or whatever he's taking it out on."

The old Boyer site now carries a banner that reads, "Recall Elaine Boyer," with a link to DeKalb County's code of ethics.