A lawyer for FOIA requests?

[masonco]

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/09/23/ludington-to-hire-attorn...

Wow is all I can say. How pathetic is this? Maybe FOIA requests should be made by a lawyer and city billed for costs to file? Is any other city, county stooping to this level?

[XLFD]

"LUDINGTON — The Ludington City Council will consider hiring a private attorney to handle the high volume of Freedom of Information Act requests it receives. The vast majority of the requests, over 200 in recent years, have come from city resident Tom Rotta.

The city is expected to appoint Susan Sniegowski as the city’s FOIA coordinator, effective Oct. 1. Sniegowski owns a private practice in Ludington and is former county prosecutor. She will respond to all FOIA requests at a rate of $125 per hour. Currently City Manager John Shay acts as FOIA coordinator.

Rotta began making FOIA requests with the city, and other area government bodies, after he was ticketed for not stopping at a stop sign while riding his bicycle. Since that time, his requests have cost local governments thousands of dollars, especially the City of Ludington, which recently settled a law suit for $15,000, in order to avoid the high cost of litigation."

Quite an interesting take on things by Rob Alway.  I stand by the record and the facts of the matter, little of which was reported in this story.

[XLFD]

Well, tonight they hired Susan Sniegowski to handle FOIA requests by a unanimous vote, instead of listening to my suggestion in the public comment section about letting the City Clerk's department handle them, which is the logical thing to do for public records, since most go through the clerks' hands.  It was awfully difficult to keep a straight face during that time.  I will explain later. 

[Dave]

Is it possible that what Rob posted was simply a press release that the city put out? I mean it does kind of sound like COL speak... could just see that statement coming out of Shay's mouth.

[XLFD]

That does sound like a press release come to think of it, and straight from the horse's mouth.  Rob usually has had some discretion with such press releases in the past, but maybe he's just going with them nowadays to save on time and energy. 

I think Alway's still miffed at me because some anonymous person was razzing him about the bathroom camera issue, which led to him banning all posters with pseudonyms, including myself.  I think it's bad policy on his part.  Lately, he seems to be falling in line with the official version of things without any sort of check.  It does please his official sources and his advertisers, but it's too bad for the local news scene.

[AQUAMAN]

In the Funk and Wagnalls dictionary under the definition of pathetic, there's a pic. of PSS, pathetic shyster shay, lol. He choked on his duties, and should be fired for impersonating a decent public official, paid over $120K/yr., and still shirking his duties to another expensive lawyer. Outrage and disgust is what comes to mind first. Poor Baby, couldn't take the heat in the kitchen, when he's the head cook, lmao.

[XLFD]

No pay cut was forthcoming for the City Manager by the edict of the council last night, go figure.  If you or I were found to be incompetent at an aspect of our jobs, we would be fired or have our pay reduced accordingly.  He actually is impersonating an officer since he has never taken an oath of office as State law requires him to do, and so he acts only in a de facto capacity-- Ludington deserves better.

Three weeks away is the next meeting and the verdict for our FOIA suit arrives in a week and a half; I see this move as a safety valve for the City when that verdict goes public and he may be found to be a rather big villain.  So this move, I believe, was to stave off the calls for his resignation if that verdict does come down big in our (me and the other plaintiff) favor.

[masonco]

I wondered since Rob had always been objective. I thought I was reading from LDN when I first saw it. Right now LDN is beating him to posts on happenings on FB. He has been strangely quiet.

[XLFD]

It's difficult for him as an individual with limited resources and time to go up against the LDN, an established outfit with a lot more personnel and resources.  To compete he may feel the need to compromise some objectivity. 

If it helps him win out against the COLDNews to ape the official line, get a story out before others, plus not disaffect the advertisers over any controversial topic, and that's what's most important to him, then that is what it is.  I personally don't think it advances the cause of improving journalism in the area, but it does make him more competitive with the COLDNews. 

[Jane]

I haven't been here in a few months (roughly) as I have been extremely busy, and of course my laptop broke so I don't have a PC at home of my own to use daily without asking someone in the family to give up theirs to me. so...I am out of date. But popping in today I see this article/post. What jumps out to me is that the FOIA *LAW* of the state of Michigan states the lowest paid employee of the city or entity recievieng the FOIA request. Well, 125 and hour is not the lowest paid city employee by far and this seems VERY ILLEGAL.

Tom, I hope there is a lawsuit against the city in the works regarding this.

[XLFD]

Regarding the appointment, there isn't, they have the power to do this.  But I think the City of Ludington will reverse this assignment as quick as it made it once they find out about the consequences.  I would hope they do, at least.  An explanation will follow shortly.

[AQUAMAN]

Very good points Jane, I totally agree. The COL seems to have checked around, and are now copying Hamlin Twnshp. where they also hired Susan for the same duties. It appears that several FOIA requests of recent years up there also went unanswered, or were denied for no good reason, or were lacking in substance when answered by the twnshp.. Thus, they now let her handle this for the rumored same $125/hr.. These dispersions of funds, for FOIA's, in this high amount, doesn't appear logical, nor reasonable. Afterall, that info. is the publics' to begin with. To hire a legal eagle to try to deny info., or disperse what they want known, and hide other facts, is not legal, and is a geat waste of public funds needed elsewhere. Wth is so damn shady, crooked, or secret, that the public must now pay for legal eagles to deny these FOIA's? I say we need some serious recall petitions around here to get the whole matter in the public eye, and see that justice prevails for the future. Otherwise, get on hand and knees and beg for info. that belongs to us taxpayers to begin with, and flip a coin to see what you get back.