As soon as I learned about the two Jack Franks patronage hires, I filed a Freedom of Information request asking for their photographs.
Both had to have pictures taken for government identification purposes.
I received the following reply, along with the standard paragraph that I could appeal to the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Division.
McHenry County is in receipt of your Freedom of Information Act request submitted on January 10, 2017 in which you requested:
- Photos of Bridget Greenen, Executive Assistant to Jack Franks, plus photos of Oliver Serifini, Communications Specialist.
Under the Freedom of Information Act 5 ILCS 140/7 (c), the following shall be exempt from inspection and copying:
(c) Personal information contained within public records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless the disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual subjects of the information. "Unwarranted invasion of personal privacy" means the disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject's right to privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in obtaining the information. The disclosure of information that bears on the public duties of public employees and officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal privacy.
The denial was so ridiculous that had I appeal.
On February 27th, I received the following email from McHenry County’s Public Information Officer:
Following McHenry County’s response to your FOIA Request below, we were notified by the Public Access Bureau that further action was warranted. The letter was received by McHenry County on February 16, 2017.
Please see the attached documents in response to your request for “photos of Bridget Greenen, Executive Assistant to Jack Franks, plus photos of Oliver Serifini, Communications Specialist.” The original request is at the bottom.
Please be advised that personal information has been redacted pursuant to the exemptions provided in Sections 7(1)(b)(private information) and (u)(digital signature) of the Freedom of Information Act.
Please confirm this email has been received and is responsive to your request.
Attached were black and white copies of patronage employees’ county identification cards, which I had not requested.
All I asked for was their photographs.
You can see what was provided below.
Oliver Serafini’s McHenry County employee identification card.
Bridgett Greenen’s McHenry County employee identification card.
Personal information has presumably been removed from what I was provided.
Next time someone looks at a county ID card, share with readers what has been crossed out.
Look ’em up on Google.
Congrats Cal !
You were obviously getting the run-around from somebody who
thought they were going to control the requested info.
I wonder why 😉 ?
NICE now we can put the name with the Face!
hope their scrambling to get them new submitted resume’s in for job posting which should be going up any day now for the common man to apply for.
Doesn’t anyone else see a pattern?
Cal’s declared a “recurrent requester” so his FOIA requests will be delayed and cost copying fees even though “news media” are exempt from the classification.
His request for photographs is rejected on the premise that pictures are “an invasion of privacy”.
Seems to have begun just recently….
Cal isn’t a media source.
Cal has a PAC.
He is a private citizen who is a recurrent requester.
Our Republican State’a Attorney thinks so.
Moderate doesn’t understand the FOI Act.
It was not enacted FOR media sources.
Cindy doesn’t understand that Cal isn’t media.
There are State Laws that govern FOIA so recurrent requesters like Cal cannot grind government to a halt with frivolous requests like what and ID badge looks like.
What does an ID badge do to foster good government?
Also, can we please point out that Cal has been denied PLENTY of FOIA requests prior to a Democrat becoming Chairman.
Were these all part of a conspiracy to subvert the truth?
NO!
“Grind government to a halt”
More foolish hyperbole from Moderate.
He must be a lawyer, or perhaps Jack Franks himself.
A google search for the requested photos took less than 10 seconds.
Cal is just trying to intimidate and bully county workers since Frabks could care less what Skinner writes or thinks.
Imagine if it was your son or daughter cal was going after while trying to feed their families.
There is absolutely no public interest in the FOIA request for these photos other than to harass
Wow, you’re an idiot, Moderate. You cam’t even read for content. Have you even read the FOI Act? Plus, you have no concept of who the public would be!
Abe?
Why would an attorney engage in the act of libel?
Wouldn’t they know the consequences?
Moderate is just a raving lunatic (and not able to fire two brain cells at the same time).
Perhaps you would care to share the FOI requests that did not result in a satisfactory reply.
I can remember one for sure, but not its content.
I did not ask for the ID badge.
I asked for photographs.
Why did you ask for the photos, Cal?
Since their photos are freely available on the internet, what journalistic purpose does obtaining them serve?
Exactly.
Cal just aims to intimidate.
Let him answer please.
If Mr. Skinner is in fact a media figure, he will have a good answer as to why obtaining the id badge photos served a public purpose, considering the photos are freely available.
Otherwise, his having been deemed a frequent requester and denied consideration as member of the press, as provided in the Freedom of Information Act, is completely legitimate.
Printed on the McHenry County ID Badges:
County of McHenry
Woodstock, Illinois
Oliver Serafini – CB Chairman / DOT
Bridget Geenen – Chairman Executive Assistant
++++++++++++
The ID badge indicates Oliver Serafini works for the County Board Chairman and the Department of Transportation.
There has been no indication the Department of Transportation was involved in the hiring of Oliver Serafini.
If that’s the case, how does an employee get hired when the employee’s boss in the Department of Transportation is not involved in the process?
Who is Oliver Serafini’s boss in the Department of Transportation?