FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
COMMISSION
OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT
In the Matter of a Complaint
by Final Decision
Larry Greene and Preston
Residents Against Annexation,
Complainants
against Docket
#FIC 94-367
Preston First Selectman,
Respondent October 11, 1995
The above-captioned matter was heard as a contested
case on May 18, 1995, at which time the complainants and the respondent
appeared, stipulated to certain facts and presented testimony, exhibits and
argument on the complaint. Docket #sFIC
94-372, Cindy Brewster and Residents Against Annexation v. Joseph A. Lozier,
Mayor of Ledyard and FIC 94-373, Ann Brown, Andrew Carroll, Charles Elias,
Lydia Hobbs, Richard Jeffery, Elizabeth Perkowski and John Simonds v. North
Stonington Board of Selectmen, were consolidated with the above-captioned case
for hearing. At the hearing into this
matter, the Norwich Bulletin was granted party status in accordance with the
provisions of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies 1-21j-28.
After consideration of the entire record, the
following facts are found and conclusions of law are reached:
1. The
respondent is a public agency within the meaning of 1-18a(a), G.S.
2. It is
found that the complainants, by letter dated September 20, 1994 requested that
the respondent provide them with access to inspect and copy all records
pertaining to the Town of Preston's ("the town") official position
during the final days of the mediation process with the Mashantucket Pequot
Tribe ("the tribe"). The
complainants specifically requested all handwritten or typed material mailed,
hand-delivered or faxed to Conflict Management Group ("CMG"), all
maps of the town or portions thereof submitted by the respondent to CMG, for
use in a final proposal submitted by CMG back to the town and the tribe during
the first week of September 1994 (hereinafter "requested records").
3. It is
found that the respondent denied the request on September 30, 1994.
4. Having
failed to receive access to the requested
Docket #FIC 94-367 Page
2
records, the complainants
appealed to the Commission by letter dated October 11, 1994 and filed on
October 17, 1994.
5. The
Commission takes administrative notice of the record and decisions in contested
cases docket #sFIC 93-190,
Susann Viafora and Norwich
Bulletin v. Preston Board of Selectmen, Ledyard Town Council and North
Stonington Board of Selectmen, FIC 93-235, Keith Fontaine and Norwich Bulletin
v. Preston Board of Selectmen, Ledyard Town Council and North Stonington Board
of Selectmen, FIC 94-136, Ann. C. Brown, Charles E. Elias and John D. Simonds
v. Mayor of Ledyard, North Stonington First Selectman and Preston First
Selectman, FIC 94-372, Cindy Brewster and Residents Against Annexation v.
Joseph A. Lozier, Mayor of Ledyard and FIC 94-373, Ann Brown, Andrew Carroll,
Charles Elias, Lydia Hobbs, Richard Jeffery, Elizabeth Perkowski and John
Simonds v. North Stonington Board of Selectmen.
6. In docket
#FIC 94-136 the Commission found that:
4
...in January 1993, the tribe filed an application with the Bureau of
Indian Affairs requesting that certain lands located within the towns [of
Preston, Ledyard and North Stonington] be taken into trust.
5.
...the towns [of Preston, Ledyard and North Stonington] adopted policies
to oppose the tribe's application to have land transferred in trust.
6.
...as a result of the dispute which arose between the towns [of Preston,
Ledyard and North Stonington] and the tribe concerning the trust acqusition
issue, it was apparent to the towns [of Preston, Ledyard and North Stonington]
that litigation was imminent.
7.
...at the request of the Secretary of the Interior, Congressman
Gejdenson, Senator Lieberman and Senator Dodd the towns [of Preston, Ledyard
and North Stonington] and the tribe agreed in December 1993 to participate in a
mediation process to determine if the dispute could be resolved without
resorting to litigation.
7. It is
found that the towns of Preston, Ledyard and North Stonington ("the
towns") retained the services of Perkins Coie, a Washington D.C. law firm,
in March 1993, to consider possible legal action with respect to the tribe's
land acquisition application.
Docket #FIC 94-367 Page
3
8. It is
found that as a result of the December 1993 agreement, described in paragraph 6
sub-paragraph 7, above, the towns and the tribe entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding, dated April 15, 1994, whereby they agreed to submit their
dispute to a facilitation/mediation process with CMG, a private company hired
by the towns and the tribe to serve as facilitators.
9. It is
found that during the facilitation/mediation process numerous documents
including letters, memoranda, faxes and maps were generated and used by the
towns, the tribe, CMG and the towns' attorneys.
10. It is found
that the requested records consists of those records described in paragraph 9,
above..
11. It is
found that the facilitation/mediation process broke down and ended in September
1994.
12. It is
found that most of the requested records were subsequently destroyed and
further that the remaining records are now in the possession of the
respondent's Washington, D.C., attorneys.
13. It is
found that the towns filed suit against the Secretary of the Department of the
Interior in the federal district court for the District of Columbia on May 11,
1995.
14. It is
found that the requested records are public records within the meaning of
1-18a(d), G.S.
15. The
respondent contends that the requested records are exempt from disclosure
pursuant to 1-19(b)(1), (4) and (10), G.S.
16. Section
1-19(b)(4), G.S., allows an agency to withold from disclosure "records
pertaining to strategy and negotiations with respect to pending claims or
pending litigation to which the public agency is a party until such litigation
or claim has been finally adjudicated or otherwise settled." [Emphasis added].
17. Section
1-18a(h)(3), G.S., defines "pending litigation" to mean:
(3)
the agency's consideration of action to enforce or implement legal
relief or a legal right.
18. It is
concluded that the respondent, at the time of the complainants' request, was
considering legal action within
Docket #FIC 94-367 Page 4
the meaning 1-18a(h)(3),
G.S, to enforce or implement legal relief or a legal right with respect to the
land acquisition dispute.
19. It is
found that the requested records pertain to strategy and negotiation with
respect to the respondent's consideration of legal action, as described in
paragraph 18, above.
20. It is
concluded that the requested records are exempt pursuant to 1-19(b)(4),
G.S., and therefore the respondent did not violate the complainants' rights
when it witheld the requested records from disclosure.
21. However,
the Commission is troubled by the respondent's destruction of most of the
requested records and his failure to keep a true copy of such records in
accordance with sound record management practices.
22. With
respect to the respondent's further claims of exemption, it is found that the
respondent failed to prove that the requested records are exempt pursuant to
1-19(b)(1), G.S., as preliminary drafts or notes, and 1-19(b)(10),
G.S., as communications privileged by the attorney-client relationship.
The following order by the Commission is hereby
recommended on the basis of the record concerning the above-captioned
complaint:
1. The
complaint is hereby dismissed.
2. The
Commission strongly recommends that the respondent contact the State Public
Records Administrator to apprise himself as to proper public record retention
and management practices and to ensure his compliance with the state's public
record retention and destruction statutes.
Approved by Order of the
Freedom of Information Commission at its regular meeting of October 11, 1995.
Elizabeth A. Leifert
Acting Clerk of the
Commission
Docket #FIC 94-367 Page
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PURSUANT TO SECTION 4-180(c),
G.S. THE FOLLOWING ARE THE NAMES OF EACH PARTY AND THE MOST RECENT MAILING
ADDRESS, PROVIDED TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COMMISSION, OF THE PARTIES OR
THEIR AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE.
THE PARTIES TO THIS CONTESTED
CASE ARE:
Larry Green and Preston
Residents Against Annexation
c/o Richard D. Dixon, Esq.
58 Huntington Street
New London, CT 06320
Preston First Selectman
c/o Frank A. Manfredi, Esq.
Cotter, Greenfield, Manfredi
& Lenes, P.C.
P.O. Box 6002
Yantic, CT 06389
Mr. Keith Fontaine
Norwich Bulletin
66 Franklin Street
Norwich, CT 06360
Elizabeth A. Leifert
Acting Clerk of the Commission