Oh, this is fun. We complained last week about the report that was submitted to the Selectboard on alleged infractions at Rasputin’s Tavern and a host of bad behavior by drunk patrons and bartenders in bikinis (I kid you not). I did not get the report in time for my story.
That means I had to go strictly by what was said in the meeting, which may not always be accurate.
Well, I finally got a report, with positively outrageous redactions made by Town Counsel.
After some back and forth with Town Administrator Mark Rees and a couple of people in the police department, they decided that even more should’ve been redacted.
This is ridiculous. We are clearly interpreting the open records law differently.
I did manage to get enough info from what was not redacted and the letters that were included in the report to write the story (see page 3). But, really, folks, this is not okay.
The people preparing these documents for a public hearing should just kind of know, dontchathink?, that the press is going to ask for the information. It’s a public hearing. People have a right to know what is going on at a bar that is causing all kinds of noise and other disturbances in the neighborhood. And, there’s plenty going on there.
The public hearing was continued to this Monday, 5/20, so hopefully more information will come out at the meeting.
The only way, though, that this kind of secrecy ends, is if people complain. If the law is allowing, or even requiring, this kind of secrecy, then the law needs to change. Laws are made by lawmakers, and we elect THEM, so we need to get on the phone and talk to these guys, write and agitate and do what is necessary.
In my humble opinion, I think what has happened is that we have a bunch of legislators with a bunch of troublemaker kids and so the laws have changed to protect their brats.
This has to stop.
Until next week then…see ya,
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Click here to download the entire 5/16/19 issue: 05-16-19 NALC
