Former Township Clerk acknowledges FOIA denials based on political belief, and willful denials –

WESLEY Twp. (ECWd) –

The Former Wesley Township Clerk, Sarah Norton, appointed to the position in July of 2018 and resigned in Aug 2019, has signed an Affidavit acknowledging what we knew all along; that the FOIA denials were willful and intentional, and that her father (the former appointed road commissioner) was asking her to not answer them.

This is part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, in Will County, involving at least 35 FOIA request that were either denied or simply not answered.

From the Affidavit, obtained by us thru a public records request to the township:

• I further did not respond to numerous F.O.I.A. requests from people I perceived as opposing my political interests including but not limited to Connie Hale Forsythe, Kirk Allen and John Kraft.
• I knowingly and willfully decided not to provide information in the Freedom of Information Act requests to either Cynthia Brzana or Tim Grant even though I provided most of that information to my father, John Norton.
• I also provided access to video’s to my father, John Norton, that I did not provide to others that requested the same videos.
• My decision to withhold the documents requested by Plaintiffs, Cynthia Brzana and Tim Grant, was based on my personal desire to not respond and based on the request of my father, that I not respond.
• My failure to respond to Cynthia Brzana’s and Tim Grant’s F.O.1.A. requests was not the act of negligence or inadvertence. Rather, the failure to respond to Cynthia Brzana’ s and Tim Grant’s FOIA requests was my conscience and willful actions.
• I willfully and consciously did not respond to any of those requests and each remained outstanding as of the date I resigned as the Wesley Township Clerk.

Sarah Norton affidavit

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