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Council Member Matthew McShie asks mayor to correct public record after role removals
Summary
Council Member Matthew McShie asked the mayor to identify records supporting statements that were used to remove him from outside-entity roles, or to correct the record; he said the city located no formal complaints from the watershed commission or fire departments and that six email threads (22 emails) were classified as private correspondence.
Council Member Matthew McShie of Greenfield read a prepared statement at the Jan. 31 council meeting asking the mayor to either produce records that substantiate claims used to remove him from outside-entity roles or to correct the public record.
McShie said the council and mayor previously cited complaints from outside bodies, including the Pioneer–Sarah Creek Watershed Management Commission and local fire departments, when removing him from liaison and committee assignments. He told the council that a city administrator search located no records of complaints from the watershed commission or the fire departments and that the city identified six email threads totaling 22 emails that it characterizes as private correspondence under Minnesota data-practices law. According to McShie, watershed chair Joe Baker provided a written confirmation stating, "No complaints were communicated from the watershed commission to Greenfield regarding your performance during that time frame." McShie asked the mayor to either identify the specific records supporting the earlier assertions, correct the record if no such records exist, or make the correspondence public with appropriate redactions.
McShie said some reported conversations were verbal and therefore not documented, but he maintained that he could not "lie" about those verbal exchanges. He concluded by formally placing his written request into the public record and asking the city administrator to distribute it.
The mayor asked McShie which specific claims he was alleging were inaccurate and whether McShie was asking the mayor to release the email threads the mayor had received. McShie said he would accept redactions of identifying names. The mayor said he would consider making redacted versions available.
No formal motion or vote followed the exchange. The council did not take immediate action to release records during the meeting; McShie’s request was entered into the public record and the mayor indicated he would consider the request going forward.
