Worthy of the Orwellian nature of O'Fallon's government the city issued a press release this week entitled "O’Fallon’s PR Department Launches Two New Tools to Keep Residents Informed." The press release describes the new tools as an electronic newsletter and an online press release archive. This is great news if you want to find out what the city wants you to know about what is going on with city government but what if you'd rather do the checking yourself? After all isn't that what the State's Sunshine and Record Retention laws are all about? Only if you follow them.
A recent article by Steve Pokin of the Suburban Journals discussed O'Fallon's attempts to circumvent the Sunshine laws and The O'Fallon Observer has covered this as well. Deletion of emails, charging unlawful fees, failing to respond to requests and questionable legal opinions are all tools employed in O'Fallon to keep its residents uninformed. The city has been sued for violating the Sunshine law in the past and been forced to pay but it still refuses to comply with the law. Why? Plain and simple, most average citizens don't have the time and money to fight the legal battle required and O'Fallon's leaders know this.
Tom Drabelle, the head of O'Fallon's Ministry of Truth, stated in the press release “Since I came to the City in March of last year, we have been investigating the best possible way to provide additional local news and, when necessary, immediate electronic updates to our residents.” Here's an idea Tom, issue a press release that O'Fallon is going to start following the law. Now that would be news.
Something I did caused the "closed session" of the Charter commission. As a member of the Charter Commission, I asked a staff member his opinion of something concerning epmplyee protection by giving him something out of another charter. This got to the Mayor and she tried to exert control over the commission by stating I was in violation of an O'Fallon ordinance. What a bunch of crud. First of all, the ordinance specifically refers to "aldermen" interferring in the performance of staff. We were not aldermen. Secondly, the closed meeting to "chew" me out did, in no way, qualify under the open meetings law. We had no personnel (to hire or fire), no ability to contract, NOTHING but to do the job before us. The Mayor tried to exert undue pressure and I took great offense to that, as did others on the Commission.
ReplyDeleteThat is where the issues that have created problems, at the top!!!