20160419-01_Miklejohn
From: Ben Meiklejohn [mailto:news@inthecourier.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 2:03 PM
To: Bennett, James; Casavant, Alan; Keith Jacques; Jacques, Keith; McCurry, John; Paul Therrien; Morris, Carmen; Jeremy Ray
Subject: FOAA request
Dear City Manager James Bennett, Mayor Alan Casavant, City Solicitor Keith Jacques, Council President John McCurry, City Clerk Carmen Morris, Charter Review Commission Chairman Paul Therrien and Superintendent Jeremy Ray,
Under the Maine Freedom of Access Act § 402 et seq., I am requesting copies of the written or electronic records that are required to be filed under the Maine Freedom of Access Act § 412, and which identify the trainings completed and the date of completion of courses of training on public records and proceedings.
I request to view copies of the certification of training for every elected municipal officer that is currently serving in office, including the mayor, city councilors, school board members, charter revision commissioners, as well as all other public officials of political subdivisions whom the statute applies to as defined in subsections F, G and H.
If portions of the requested information are not available to the public by requirement of statute or law, then please provide all portions of the request that are not required to be withheld, and reference statutory citations that allow portions of the request to be withheld.
If there are fees for searching or copying these records, please inform me if the cost will exceed $20. I request a waiver of fees in that the disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest and will contribute significantly to the public’s understanding of the abilities of the Biddeford City Council to conduct business openly and its ability to accurately convey to the public the nature of business that it conducts in executive session.
As a reporter for the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, this request is for news gathering purposes. The information is not being sought for commercial purposes.
If you intend deny this request, please respond within five business days as mandated by law. If you expect a significant delay in responding to this request, contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.
Benjamin J. Meiklejohn, Staff Writer
Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier
207-282-4337 ext. 213
news@inthecourier. com
457 Alfred St.
Biddeford ME 04005
City Response
From: Bennett, James
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 6:33 PM
To: 'Ben Meiklejohn'; Casavant, Alan; Keith Jacques; Jacques, Keith; McCurry, John; Paul Therrien; Morris, Carmen; Jeremy Ray
Subject: RE: FOAA request
Ben,
Attached is the training for the Mayor and City Council. To my knowledge, the members of the Charter Commission have not received their training.
James A. Bennett, ICMA-CM
City Manager
Biddeford, Maine
Phone 207.284.9313
FAX 207.571.0678
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BiddMECityMgr
www.biddefordmaine.org
Under Maine's Freedom of Access ('Right to Know") law, all email and email attachements received or prepared for matters concerning City business are likely to be regarded as public records which may be inspected by any person upon request, unless otherwise made confidential by law. If you have received this message in error, please notify this office immediately by return email. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
City of Biddeford, Maine