So, What Did the McHenry County College Board Authorize on April 26th?

Well, it’s two weeks after the McHenry County College Board meeting that authorized the building of a baseball stadium without any serious public deliberation.

The afternoon of the April 26th board meeting, the MCC’s president’s office refused me a copy of baseball stadium report that was to be considered that night.

How different from other public bodies like Carpentersville School District 300 or Huntley School District 158, which both post board packets on the internet before their meetings.

So, I faxed over an official Freedom of Information request.

Today, I was so frustrated I called the president’s office and Walt Packard himself answered the phone.

After I explained that 7 working days had elapsed and I had not received any replies, he said he would look into it.

Later, when I went to the mailbox, there were five letters from the MCC’s Chicago attorneys Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas Lifton & Taylor, Ltd.

Dated May 1st, they were signed by a pleasant fellow named Harold A. Metz.

This time I again got a separate envelope for each request, but at least they were sent by regular mail. Instead of costing $4.64 apiece, this time only 39 cents postage was spent on each reply.

It’s not that I would mind getting real $4.64 stamps for that childhood collection I may someday reactivate, but $4.64 metered postage just wastes our tax dollars.

Two of the responses said there were attachments, but only Metz’ letters were in the envelopes.

So, I called him up.

He was in a meeting, but the person who answered the phone put me through to his voice mail.

My message told him the attachments were missing. I offered to drive over to the college and pick them up.

When he called back Metz told me I was correct.

And, then, in an amazing offer, he suggested emailing them to me, including the one that a letter asked me to send a $15.50 check to cover copying charges.

That’s a positive step in the direction of transparency, don’t you think?

Even if there was a two week veil.

Tomorrow, what the MCC Board signed off on.


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