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Resident says public-records request was withheld; asks mayor to intervene
Summary
A resident reported that a recent public-records request was responded to by the law firm Gold Weems with partial redactions and a claim that some materials are privileged; he asked the mayor’s office to help resolve access without litigation and specifically asked about records on recovered grant funds.
Greg Henderson addressed the council to report difficulties obtaining records from the city. He said he submitted a public-records request and received a response from Gold Weems law firm, signed by Emily Lester, asserting that the responsive materials contained "confidential communications with legal counsel and/or attorney work product." Henderson said the reply did not answer whether grant money tied to completed projects had been recovered by the city and asked for a clearer, less-redacted response.
Henderson said he does not want to sue the city to obtain records and asked the mayor’s office and council to coordinate with the city’s custodian of records so questions can be answered without litigation. The mayor suggested Henderson contact the mayor’s office to arrange a meeting and mentioned Ms. Margaret Lyons as a point of contact for scheduling.
The council did not take formal action on the request during the meeting. Henderson said he filed his request the previous Monday and received the firm’s response on Friday; he described the response as insufficient and asked the mayor’s office to facilitate a practical resolution.
No staff or legal representative provided a detailed on-the-record justification of the redactions at the meeting; the record shows the law firm’s privilege claim but no further explanation in open session.
