By Jason Weinstein.

Fred Akshar's campaign, but not the candidate himself, responding to what it's calling a negative ad about him.


The ad makes an issue of the amount of overtime Akshar made as a member of the Broome County Sheriff's Office. It also references a more-than-year-old lawsuit which claims Akshar intervened when a politically-connected friend called him about a domestic dispute he was involved in.


After the call and investigation, Akshar's brother, a Sheriff's Deputy, arrested the friend's ex-wife on a charge that was eventually dropped. Former Broome County Undersheriff Alex Minor supervised that case.


He said the arrest was warranted and that Akshar's brother responded since the investigation fell in his coverage zone. Minor says, in retrospect, since the incident itself happened in Binghamton Fred Akshar could have referred it to Binghamton police but that nothing out of the ordinary happened.


"Best-case scenario Binghamton (Police) should have handled it. But, there was nothing illegal, immoral, unethical. It just wasn't there," said Minor.


"Once you declare your candidacy you are indeed a politician. No matter how hard you try to spin it you're in it, and it's all fair game," said Fiala.


Minor went on to say Akshar earned every cent of overtime he received as an undercover narcotics officer. Fiala says the ad isn't negative, instead it's trying to give an accurate portrayal of who Akshar really is.