By: Diane Benjamin
Editorials written by un-named Pantagraph staff continue to be a source for giggles. Everything written in today’s could pertain to the City of Bloomington, but the writer fails to make the connection. Since critical thinking about local elected officials is foreign to their staff, they missed the obvious.
Today the anonymous writer is lamenting legislation now under debate in Springfield to limit access to public records under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Illinois FOIA law, while stronger than it used to be, still isn’t a model for open government. There are far too many exemptions and too many ways for governments to keep public records away from citizens. While many government officials are more than willing to make records open to the public, there also are plenty who seem to think the public doesn’t have any right to know how its money is spent.
Secrecy is a breeding ground for government corruption, which should be reason enough in Illinois to be as open as possible.
I have never had a problem getting documents under the Freedom of Information Act from the Town of Normal. Bloomington is a totally different story, hence the lawsuit I still have pending – the next court date is December 23rd. That date however will not end the battle for information. I hand delivered 2 FOIA requests to City attorney Rosalee Dodson at the last hearing. Both were submitted in October and I NEVER received a response to either one – not even a denial. Both involve how your tax dollars are spent and both qualify under the Pantagraph’s definition of secrecy.
Of course, the Pantagraph isn’t interested in local corruption.
The Pantagraph is only interested in appearing to care – hence the anonymous editorial. They neglected to mention the House and Senate voted unanimously earlier this year to make non-compliance with the FOIA laws a felony. The law goes into effect January 1st, 2015. Springfield is a classic case for government hypocrisy – the Pantagraph didn’t notice.
Current FOIA officer for the City of Bloomington, Tracy Covert, is retiring. I hope her replacement realizes that a felony charge for withholding documents is likely. The FOIA officer must realize that David Hales (City Manager), Tari Renner (Mayor), and Jeff Jurgens (contract lawyer) don’t have the authority to decide if a request is ignored. Anybody still want to apply?
I will re-file the two requests after January 1st if the City continues to ignore them. If the FOIA officer doesn’t produce the requested documents, I will then have another avenue available to pursue compliance.
The Pantagraph wouldn’t recognize local corruption unless their building was seized by eminent domain. I fully expect they will ignore all issues with City government, leopards can’t change their spots.