WPD, your statement that Anderson County government is open is a total lie. An absolute total lie, and I believe you tell that lie knowingly. JD is dead on when he says that providing information months after it is requested does not comply with the law, either in letter or intent. To charge media and public officials, not to mention citizens, hundreds of dollars to obtain public information is nothing but a tactic and has nothing to do with PReston meeting his legal obligations to uphold the laws of the state. To pay high priced legal help to review and approve/disapprove every FOIA request made to the county is wasteful and arrogant and not in keeping with the law. The only FOIA request that should require legal review is one dealing with a potential personnel matter, or other items protected under essentially the same standards set for executive sessions of the council.
That's the point dude. The government is open. The TOGA political platform was the result of a myth that Cindy could not get the information they were asking for. The voters bought it, so Cindy and Bob and the gang better manufacture some product. They've got a huge bill of goods on back order. It'll be fun to watch.-white-plains-drifter
A friend of mine placed an FOI request several months ago, and was surprised to receive a letter from attorney in Charleston, to whom the request had been sent for review. Anybody wonder what that cost the county?
This attorney told my friend in writing that the attorney general considered the information sought to be public information. She went on to say that she disagreed with the attorney general, so my friend couldn't get the info without hiring a lawyer and going to court.So this attorney, paid by Preston with your money, to deflect and derail a perfectly legitimate request for public information, decides to defy the attorney general and, in effect, issue her own opinion.
If you think that this kind of misconduct, and hubris, reflects an open government, you are blind as a bat drifter.It's exactly the kind of attitude that voters wholeheartedly rejected in June. It's exactly the attitude that will likely cost Preston his job, justas it did Greer, Mac and Michael T.For such a brilliant administrator, Mr. Preston sure is a slow learner.
