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Residents raise concern at council meeting over public-records email-list disclosure and city communications
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment to raise concerns after a public-records request for the city—s resident email list, criticizing the city's communications infrastructure and urging the council to prioritize a communications committee and better notice to residents.
Two residents and a long-time requester urged the Pepper Pike City Council to address a gap they say the Ohio Supreme Court decision created around public-records disclosure of resident email lists and to fix city communications that leave residents uninformed.
The public comments matter because the speakers said the city did not promptly inform council or residents about the implications of a recent Ohio Supreme Court ruling related to public-records requests and that a nonfunctioning communications committee and a difficult-to-navigate website hinder timely resident notice.
Manny Knapp, who said he submitted a public-record request for the city—s resident email addresses on June 3, told the council he deleted the file after obtaining it and said his intent was to demonstrate the scope of disclosure. He criticized the city for not promptly informing residents that such lists could be disclosed under the court ruling and asked that the topic be included in the meeting minutes.
Anne Marie Warren and other speakers said they had difficulty finding meeting information on the city website and urged the council to prioritize the communications committee, consider hiring a communications professional, and provide clearer, timelier notification to residents. Warren said she had contacted the mayor, who had not disparaged the requester, and urged civility in public discussion.
Council members and the law director discussed boundaries of municipal authority. The law director said municipal officials can answer legal questions when asked but cannot be responsible for proactively notifying the public about all relevant court decisions; he advised residents that political advocacy and combined citizen action are routes to influence federal or state policy. Council members acknowledged the concerns and said the communications committee should be activated and that staff would work to make meeting information more accessible.
No formal action or ordinance was proposed at the meeting, but several councilmembers asked staff to prioritize better web and newsletter notice and to convene the communications committee to recommend outreach improvements. Manny requested that his written statement be included in the meeting minutes; he also asked the council to prioritize the committee and improved transparency.
