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Connecticut FOI official briefs New Canaan on meeting and records rules
Summary
Russell Blair of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission told New Canaan residents and local board members that meetings, electronic discussions among quorums, minutes, executive sessions and public-record requests are governed by a broad state FOI law; he emphasized timelines for responses and common exemptions.
Russell Blair, director of education and communications for the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, told a New Canaan audience that the state's open-government law gives the public broad access to meetings and records and that local boards must take care with agendas, minutes and electronic communications.
"Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant," Blair said in opening remarks, using the phrase to frame the law's purpose: to let residents follow decisions by state and municipal agencies. He traced Connecticut's statute to 1975 and described the Commission's role as educational and complaint-driven rather than prosecutorial.
Blair summarized how FOI treats meetings: a meeting exists when a quorum of a multi-member public agency convenes (in person or electronically) and discusses or acts on board business. He gave examples (for a seven-member board the quorum is four; for nine members it is five) and warned that substantive back-and-forth by email or text among a quorum can constitute a meeting…
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