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Resident accuses drain office of weaponizing public records in dispute; requests board scrutiny
Summary
Laura Shue told commissioners her elderly parents were threatened with a lawsuit after a neighbor requested records; she said a deputy drain commissioner suggested sharing entire district records without FOIA, quoting an email that sought 'blowback' on sellers, and asked whether county actions reflect Ingham County values.
Laura Shue addressed the board virtually on June 23 as power of attorney for Janet and Gary Shue, recounting a multi-year drainage dispute and what she described as problematic handling by county staff.
Shue said her parents—longtime Ingham County residents—were surprised by a mediation request and a threat of lawsuit tied to a neighbor complaint. She said county deputy drain commissioner Paul Pratt had advised giving the neighbor district-wide records rather than asking her to use FOIA and quoted an email she attributed to Pratt: "I would love to see the sellers get the kind of blowback she is proposing," which she said amounted to inappropriate language in a public-servant exchange.
Shue told commissioners the treatment felt like "weaponizing" public records against elderly residents and asked whether the actions reflect county values and expectations for public staff. The board took the comment under advisement; no formal action was announced during the meeting. Shue said she and her family had retained audio and documentary records related to the 2021 complaint and FOIA interactions and requested clarity about county processes for responding to records requests.
