Stratford councilman files FOI for data
By Richard Weizel
STAFF WRITER
Updated: 04/23/2009
11:43:17 PM ED
STRATFORD -- Town
Councilman Gavin B. Forrester III, D-3, has filed a Freedom of
Information complaint against Mayor James R. Miron seeking information
that he contends would clarify whether town bids and purchases have been
handled legally.
Forrester -- who is
contemplating a challenge to Miron for the Democratic mayoral nomination
-- filed the complaint April 12 against his fellow Democrat after what he
says have been "four months of stalling" by Miron and his top
administrators regarding an initial December request and followups
seeking the number of services, projects and equipment procured through
competitive bidding in the 2008 calendar year.
"I sent an e-mail
Dec. 14 saying I would like to have this information, and at the January
[council] meeting I reiterated many of the points," Forrester said.
"At the time the
mayor said CAO [Suzanne McCauley] was looking into it, but that it was
budget time and they needed time. I understood that, but now it's four
months later and I haven't received one piece of paper regarding my
request."
Miron, however, said
Forrester's requests are "extremely voluminous and will end up being
hundreds of pages long."
The mayor said he is
"disappointed" the councilman felt the need to file an FOI
complaint.
"If we were to
process every citizen's request of this volume it would grind town
government to a standstill," Miron said. "As it is we will
provide all the information he [Forrester] had requested
within another few weeks."
Miron said during a
recent council meeting he's also not sure all of Forrester's requests
fall under FOI.
In his complaint,
Forrester states "I would think approximately four months is ample
time. Since the mayor's office has made no attempt to contact me
regarding my request I am only left to assume that the administration of
the Town of Stratford is either ignoring my request, refusing to provide
me the information, or misplaced my request.
"In either case I am
formally filing a complaint with your Commission in an attempt to obtain
the information requested in my e-mail of Dec. 14, 2008."
Acting FOI Commission
clerk Petrea Jones said Wednesday the commission has received Forrester's
complaint and it is under review.
Forrester said "some
of my requests include a copy of the request for qualifications and
request for proposal. I don't see why it take sthis long to get something
like that ready. Either these policies exist or they don't, and if they
do how long should it take to get them to me?"
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