BLOOMINGTON, IL. (ECWd) –
What was a simple request for a copy of a meeting video has turned into Mayor Tari Renner’s staff violating state open records law.
If Renner cannot control his staff, how can he run a city?
I requested an un-redacted copy of the Bloomington City Council’s November 14, 2016 meeting video because the video posted on Bloomington’s website is redacted, or doctored, to keep the citizens from hearing what was said during public comment.
Did Mayor Renner order the censoring of this video?
The answer I received from Andrew Coffey, the city clerk, was that the video was on their website, but when I checked, it was not there in its un-redacted form.
I replied to Coffey that his response did not provide the public record requested, and he responded back to me with the censored text of the video, but his email was also censored, and the text he provided did not match what I believe was on the video.
I responded once again that he did not comply with the request for public records.
Now, the mandated 5-day response to a FOIA request has passed, and the city has violated state law by failing to comply with the request.
Bloomington has been sued recently for FOIA violations -this is beginning to appear to be a pattern and practice of keeping public records from the public – all under Mayor Renner’s watch.
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