Read this letter in reply to McHenry County Blog’s request for an email from President Vicky Smith to Trustee Chris Jenner about the threats posed by media and blogs to McHenry County College.
It was mentioned during a public meeting.
See if you agree it should be hidden from public view.
Makes you wonder how much money was spent on lawyers to come up with the answer.
You going to get your undies in a bunch like Pete and take this to court?
I’m sure Judge Meyer (that poor guy) will be just thrilled to have another blogger in court asking for his FOIA to be honored………….NOT
At least Ms. Brown was kind enough to cite every section of the law relevant to denying your request.
But aren’t FOIA officers normally attorneys?
And if that’s the case, it’s a sunk cost Cal and didn’t cost the college money to make this letter, but in the same light: When is someone going calculate the taxpayer expense related to your FOIA requests?
You have to admit it is kind of ironic you made a snarky comment about how much it cost taxpayers for them to ensure they were following the law in answering your request.
There was a sheet handed out tell that information for the last quarter. I thought I posted it, but I can’t find it.
Please understand, just because the law allows a governmental unit to withhold information does not mean they have to do so.
I’m very thankful for your FOI requests.
If you didn’t send them, we wouldn’t know anything about what’s going on at MCC.
They seem to be very secretive over there and hide whatever they can from the public’s eye.
I agree with Margie one thousand percent!
If you want to hear about what’s going on at the MCC board meeting, turn off the TV and go to one.
Don’t wait for Cal or Gus or Pete to tell you what they think they did or did not hear, but go find out for yourself.
And, if I’m not mistaken, and I’m not, the FOIA person at the Sheriff’s department is a records clerk, or the head of the department, a Mrs. Weech, I think is her name.
I don’t believe that there is any place in the FOIA statute that requires a FOIA officer to be an attorney.
Most businesses and such have attornies on staff to advise them how to answer FOIA requests.
@AZSupporter – Wasn’t sure if FOIA officers were required to be attorneys.
I just know from past experiences most are.
But good point on people going to meetings – it’s a requirement of democracy, yet some seem to think that Democracy is better executed through slapping a bumper sticker on your car, not doing anything, and just reading a blog.
Private entities work for US and are paid for with Taxpayers’ money.
They are NOT emperors running private businesses.
FOI is a good thing not a waste of time.
You make an excellent point AZsupporter, which I am guilty of never attending any of the MCC board meetings.
If anyone cannot attend the MCC meetings, the regular meetings and Committee Of The Whole meetings are available to view via internet and streamed live…..
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mcc-trustee-meetings
Correction, meant public entities not private in upper comment.
Also, switching the topic is old, the topic has to do with info withheld from the taxpayers not who is home on their couch and not jumping to sit at the meetings.
Some actually have other things to do and info from reporter types is welcome.
Guilt trips R Us is often used by those in or those pushing education entities.
Is this what they teach our kids?
The FOIA Officer is not an attorney. I cannot think of a single municipality that employs an attorney as their FOIA Officer.
The FO doesn’t set policy or interpret the law.
The FO is a glorified secretary, that just scans documents.
We moved back to McHenry County in 2010 (and lived here in the 1990’s).
When we last lived here, our property tax bill virtually doubled.
Now, the tax bill is also excessively high with the majority going to education districts and MCC.
It sickens me to see the type of waste exemplified by the above blog post.
It seems as if it is all about covering up at any cost.
We are seriously considering moving back out of McHenry County.