City Refuses to Mediate Public Records Access (II)

Our City lacks openness and transparency. Our City government is an embarassment to our City.Refusal to mediate (talk) about it shows consciousness of guilt. Refusal to tell us what 13 city offices have purchasing power (and records) and refusal to place City Commission agenda notebooks/packets on our City website (as County and SJRWMD do) is indefensible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Ms. Gleason: Thank you for your efforts. Please be advised that: 1. I will take it up at the next City Commission meeting on Monday night.2. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called St. Augustine "the most lawless" city in America. I have posted JAMES PATRICK WILSON's unreasonable refusal to mediate to the St. Augustine Record's Talk of the Town and to my blog, "Clean Up City of St. Augustine, Florida" http://www.cleanupcityofstaugutine.blogspot.com/3. There on the blog you will find much evidence of the context in which the "dispute" arises -- including 20,000 cubic yards of illegal dumping in the Old City Reservoir, where people fished and swam for generations -- under criminal investigation by FDEP. Outside our very cooperative City Clerk's office, the rest of COSA managers have a chip on their shoulders and contempt for the public's right to know. 4. The fact that there still is no explanation for City Attorney JAMES PATRICK WILSON's illegal failure for three years to place the Shade Meeting Transcript in the City Clerk's office speaks volumes.5. What is the source of the assumption that the City Attorney can answer without consulting the City Commissioners? Seems to me that this is undemocratic and allows staffers to pretend to be like former Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague -- "I am the law."6. I look forward to talking with you about the City of St. Augustine.Thank you again for your efforts.With kindest regards, I am,Sincerely yours,Ed Slavin In a message dated 5/2/2006 2:23:35 PM Eastern Standard Time, Pat_Gleason@oag.state.fl.us writes:Thank you for your email Mr. Slavin. The board attorneys are authorized toaccept or reject mediation on behalf of the governmental agencies they represent. If you disagree with his decision, then perhaps you can raise your concerns to the city commissioners at their next meeting. Hopefully we will be able to have a phone conversation but with so manyresponsibilities up here email is usually the faster way I can answer yourinquiries. Sincerely, Pat Gleason