By: Diane Benjamin
I received a lot of information from a FOIA filed with the City of Bloomington. Almost everything is redacted including discussion of Holiday Decorations for downtown. That must be a state secret!
This is what you get when you pay a law firm in Springfield
almost $60,000 every month!
(pre Tari the City had a lawyer who cost less than 3 months of Springfield)
It could be fun to post a bunch of the redacted emails and then start some rumors about what we think they say! If the City is going to hide information, they deserve to be treated like they have something to hide! All of the below were topics of redacted emails.
- Summer Internships
- Government Center move
- Bloomington Local 49 event
- Press Release
- S-4 Petition by Greg Koos
- FYI – WMBD
- Toledo Communication video project
- Tap-on Fees
- FEMA
- HUD Housing project
- Signage Update?
- Speeding on Yotiznot
- ADA Concerns
- Work/Life Balance
- Naval Postgraduate Notes
- Requisition
- Petition for Stop Sign
We could create a really wild story based on all these redacted email topics!
I have other emails with the subject line redacted –
a violation of the Freedom of Information Act.
I think a FOIA lawsuit would make a better story!
I doubt a judge will be sympathetic to the City when virtually every email is redacted!
I was looking for emails pertaining to the terminated officer – Curtis Squires.
Start with this FOIA request Kirk Allen filed the day he made his comment at the City Council meeting. https://blnnews.com/2019/09/24/kirk-allens-public-comment/
This is the FOIA Clerk’s copy. Note who it is sent to and the time:
This email was next, it looks like Nora has access to all emails! The above wasn’t sent to her. Note this is 6 minutes after the above, she sends it to the Springfield lawyer and City manager.
5 minutes later the Springfield lawyer is responding, this time the police chief is included: (Note: the subject is redacted)
12 minutes later there is another response. Angie Brown is Assistant HR Manager.
If this was just a “personnel” matter when Officer Squires left the Bloomington Police Department, why the flurry of emails? Why are they all redacted?
Start the rumors – Bloomington deserves it.
Perhaps the officer caught the mayor deserving a DUI for extra credit towards a grade on community activism while the professor was out drinking with some students, and was terminated due to his persistence to write that ticket.
Good rumor!
Rumor?
Chicago…..2003.
Or maybe he’s a dirty cop that falsely arrested somebody, and got caught on his dash’s cam or body camera fabricating evidence, and quit
Before he got fired……..
BINGO, we have a winner.
I agree that something smells here. I’m worried that (aptly named) Serpico is right. If true, and that’s a strong “if”, the City might be withholding details as they could fuel a lawsuit and/or reversal of convictions. In other news, where is the police micromanaging er, I mean…civilian review board? They seem curious silent. I don’t like the micromanaging of police by political ideologues, the job of being a police officer is hard enough, but one would think they’d be asking questions.