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Editorials/Columns
Times-Dispatch: Fredericksburg officials also deserve credit for being straight with the citizens – in sharp contrast to how things apparently are being done in Maryland. Hagerstown City Councilman Kristen Aleshire recently expressed dismay about the lack of transparency up there: “It makes me so mad because Fredericksburg’s down there doing everything like, ‘Here you go, public . . . here are the numbers.’ Us, we’re like, ‘Don’t tell anybody anything.’ ”
Dick Hammerstrom, Free Lance-Star: A reader asks about how often Free Lance-Star reporters make Freedom of Information requests and says he believes that local government officials are evasive when they respond to requests. In his comments, Shane Cory also wrote that he feels Fredericksburg City Council members don’t want the public involved and violate the law in getting around it. I’m certainly not going to mediate Mr. Cory’s dispute with the city, but I don’t mind discussing The Free Lance-Star’s experiences using FOIA. Reporters at the newspaper and fredericksburg.com make dozens of requests for information or documents each month, usually orally, and sometimes with detailed written letters or emails. They generally get what they want without difficulty. Sometimes, there’s some give and take. Occasionally, the government agency asks for more time to provide the information and we try to reach an agreement. |