AG: Morgan County Planning Director James “Dusty” Douglas failed to adequately search for public records

Jacksonville, IL. (ECWd) –

The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor has issued a determination letter stating that Morgan County’s Planning Commission Director and FOIA Officer, James “Dusty” Douglas,  failed to adequately search for records requested pertaining to communications with Industrial Wind Turbines (“IWT”).

In July I requested all communications mentioning IWTs and was only provided some of the information requested.

Douglas even wrote back to the AG on July 25th, stating “I’d like to assure the kind people at “Illinois Leaks” that they are welcome to correspondence as it is received, but I will continue to minimize any communications other than “face-to-face” because of this type of behavior.”

We would like to ask what kind of behavior he is referring to? Asking for public records? Is that some “kind of behavior” to be frowned upon?

Thanks, Mr. Douglas, for telling the world you will now operate in secret face-to-face conversations instead of thoroughly documenting communications for future reference. After all, who the hell do the public think they are to ask for communications between public officials and the very industry trying to spearhead changes to the Morgan County Zoning Code without anyone finding out until it is too late?

Read this determination letter (here) or below:

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