• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
29 °f
Platte
49 ° Thu
49 ° Fri
48 ° Sat
53 ° Sun
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
No Result
View All Result
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
No Result
View All Result

City’s emails generated on private server sought

Debbie Coleman-Topi by Debbie Coleman-Topi
July 3, 2019
in Parkville
4
SHARES
88
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

The attorney for a group opposed to a massive Parkville development again is requesting city officials provide emails regarding the project that were generated on private servers, disputing the city’s claims that such emails have been provided.

In a letter dated Monday, Graves Garrett law firm, who represents Jason Maki of Citizens for a Better Parkville, stated that the city provided only one email generated from a private server despite the city’s claims that they have been forthcoming with such information.

RelatedNews

5th Street at Parkville to be closed

Judge: Parkville must be more specific in ‘discovery’

Hearing set Aug. 7 in Sunshine lawsuit

A copy of the letter to the city also was sent to the Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. The letter is among a series of letters mailed to Schmitt, complaining that city officials have violated the Sunshine Law, a state statute protecting citizen rights to government transparency.

City officials earlier declined to provide emails generated on private accounts, stating they are not subject to Sunshine Law. But the latest letter states that requested emails sent or received on the mayor’s or aldermen’s personal email accounts should fall under the law since aldermen are not provided a city email account and therefore use private email addresses in discussing city business. “…it appears that the city has not produced responsive emails from private email accounts—despite its legal duty and its assurances to the Attorney General,” the letter states.

An earlier letter from the city of Parkville to the attorney general states that the city has complied with the private email request by providing 5,000 “private” emails. But in attorney Andrew Alexander’s latest letter he states that, with only one exception, the city has provided no private emails because of the absence of the entire email stream of conversation, in effect blocking access to some information.

“The city appears to otherwise have only produced emails from private email accounts that were copied to a city email address,” the letter states.

Eddie Greim, another Graves Garrett attorney, said during a telephone interview, “I think they’re playing fast and loose with the facts.”

In addition, Greim said city officials are “holding emails hostage” by stating that Maki’s earlier payment of about $6,500 is not enough to cover copying costs as allowed in the statewide law. City officials earlier have stated that the amount of information requested justifies the additional charges of about $3,000.

City officials have been holding some information at city hall in lieu of the additional payment. The latest letter states that the private emails requested should fall under the fees already paid by Maki.

Maki said city officials should release the private emails in order to comply with the code of conduct as listed on the city’s website.

“They are bound to observe in their official acts the highest standards of morality and to discharge faithfully the duties of their office, regardless of personal considerations, recognizing that the public interest must be their primary concern,” the code states. “Their conduct in both their official and private affairs should be above reproach.”

Greim said Citizens for a Better Parkville is also requesting that private emails be preserved even if officials don’t release the information as requested.

However, Greim declined to state if litigation is pending and said he doesn’t expect to be alerted ahead of time if the attorney general’s office decides to act.

“We’re not going to get a tip-off,” he said.

Tags: parkvilleplatte countySunshine Laws
Debbie Coleman-Topi

Debbie Coleman-Topi

Debbie's journalism career began at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she was trained.

Her works have appeared in The Kansas City Star and its Sunday magazine, The (Independence) Examiner and TWINS Magazine. Debbie has written for The Landmark for the past four years where she has reported on a wide range of Platte County area issues and people.

These include the longest-running issue of her three-decade career--a massive development in Parkville, which spawned a citizens' movement that objects to the way city officials manage the city.

She is the author of "TWINformation: The Biology, Psychology and Development of Twins”, written in response to having and raising fraternal male twins (she and her husband later welcomed a girl to the family.)

She is also the author of “Memories of A War Bride,” which chronicles the life of her husband's Godmother, a WWII English war bride.

Debbie and her husband, John, live in Blue Springs, a long car drive from events and meetings she covers for The Landmark. In fact, when she first met publisher Ivan Foley, after answering his ad for a reporter she told him she should have packed a lunch for the long journey. When she heard no response following the job interview, Debbie called to ask if Foley was not interested in her joining the staff. He was interested, but assumed the drive was too long.

Obviously, he was wrong.

Related Posts

45 Years Ago–March 12, 1976

by Ivan Foley
March 1, 2021
0

Robert C. Ham of Parkville recently was presented a watch for 30 years of service at Western Electric and Mrs. Ham was presented a pin in honor of the occasion. The Park Hill Acapella Choir will present their 24th annual...

30 Years Ago–March 8, 1991

by Ivan Foley
March 1, 2021
0

The Platte County R-3 High School Concert and Jazz Bands will present a concert Thursday, March 14. The program, under the direction of Wendell Doyle, will feature two selections which the concert bands will be performing at the district music...

15 Years Ago–March 2, 2006

by Ivan Foley
March 1, 2021
0

A winning $200,000 Powerball ticket will be split nine ways among six Platte County R-3 teachers and three R-3 maintenance workers. Each of the winners, after taxes, will receive $15,778. They are Rebecca Stallard, 42, Platte City; Tamara Judds, 47,...

45 Years Ago–February 27, 1976

by Ivan Foley
February 26, 2021
0

Mr. and Mrs. Allen Buxton of Weston announce the birth of their daughter, Valerie Sue, on Sunday, Feb. 22, 1976 at St. John Hospital in Leavenworth. Mrs. Buxton formerly worked at Bobbi's Hair Fashions in Platte City. Doug Hunt, Platte...

Next Post

Ex-state trooper charged with possession of child porn

Popular News

  • Why the urgency for R-3 bond issue?

    Why the urgency for R-3 bond issue?

    23 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 6
  • Around 1,700 shots to be offered in the next week

    16 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • City ‘finds’ 2,300 records, gives them to Jason Maki

    16 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • Investigations, rolling outages and building south

    9 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 2
  • Attorney general probing Parkville on Sunshine

    8 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Call us at 816-858-0363

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Subscribe Online
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist