Schwartz:
I'd Rather Be In Aruba
During My Last Month Of Work
Than At FOI Hearing Scheduled Dec. 3 In Hartford
Not To Worry
The Hard-Working Taxpayers
Of Burlington, Harwinton And All Of Connecticut
Will Pay For Lawyers To Run Interference
Just Don't Ask For The Billing Records
Follow-up Letter From Chinni & Meuser, 11-19-07,
To FOI Commission Seeking Postponement
From: Atty. Craig S. Meuser
Chinni & Meuser LLC
30 Avon Meadow Lane
Avon, CT 06001
To: Tracie Brown, Esq.
Hearing Officer
Connecticut Freedom of Information Comission
18-20 Trinity St.
Hartford, CT 06106
Re; Case Nos. FIC 2007-418, 2007-421, and 2007-458
Dear Attorney Brown:
I am in receipt of Mr. Thibault's response to the request of the Board of Education for Regional School District No. 10 and Paula Schwartz that the hearing currently scheduled for December 3, 2007 be postponed.
While there is no basis for Mr. Thibault's request that the Freedom of Information Commission (the "Commission") require proof of Mrs. Schwartz's travel plans, in the interest of taking up as little time of the Commission's time, attached please find an electronic mail message indicating that Mrs. Schwartz will be out of the country from December 2 through December 9, 2007. Please note that this travel was arranged on November 15, before Mrs. Schwartz received notice of the date of the hearings in these matters.
I hope and trust this information is sufficient. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Craig S. Meuser
Cc: A. Thibault
P. Schwartz
Attachment
Editor's Note: Attachment shows a flight summary from JFK New York to Aruba and back.
Letter from A. Thibault to FOI Commission
ANDY THIBAULT
P.O. Box 1415
Litchfield, CT 06759
* Phone- 860-690-0211 * Fax- 860-567-9119
tntcomm82@cs.com
http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/
www.andythibault.com
Mon., 11-19-07
Challenge / Demand For Proof, Re; Request For Hearing Postponement
Atty. Tracie Brown
State Freedom of Information Commission
18-20 Trinity St.
Hartford, CT 06106
Dear Atty. Brown:
This is to challenge a request for postponement of a hearing Dec. 3 on three complaints - FIC 2007-418, FIC 2007-421 and FIC 2007-458 - against Regional School District 10 and to question the veracity of the excuse given by attorneys for School Superintendent Paula Schwartz. [I received notice of the hearing on Saturday. A day earlier, I received a fax requesting the postponement.]
As the FOI Commission knows [see correspondence Oct. 16, 2007: Ethical violations by Atty. Christine Chinni, Deception / Lying], Schwartz and the Chinni & Meuser firm have a track record of lying about public records. It is reasonable and prudent to demand proof that Schwartz actually will be out of the country on Dec. 3.
Therefore, I ask the FOI Commission to refuse consideration of the request for postponement until such proof is produced. A prudent and reasonable person would not take claims emanating from Schwartz or Chinni & Meuser at face value. Are there documents showing Schwartz is on paid leave during this time? It is incumbent upon the commission, given the facts before it, to compel some sort of proof.
Also, I recently received a letter from the school district's business manager stating that insurance policies I had requested are now available. The letter includes a demand for payment.
Given the school district's pattern of flouting the FOI law, this letter is tantamount to extortion. The district has been put on notice that it cannot demand money from taxpayers to view public records and that it cannot require appointments to view such records. Anyone should be able to view these records during normal business hours. These are the tactics employed by the district to hide its policies from the public. This issue could be addressed by any workshops that Schwartz and others might be required to attend.
The district also has been put on notice that the FOI law provides an exception to its policy of charging 50 cents per page for documents. The law does not require a charge, especially when disclosure is in the public interest. Disclosure is always in the public interest, especially when corruption, e.g., stealing an election, is involved.
Finally, it should be noted that a number of items requested from Schwartz and promised by Chinni months ago still have not been produced. I will provide an inventory for the hearing.
Sincerely,
Andy Thibault
Copy to P. Schwartz
--
11-16-07 Letter From Chinni & Meuser
To FOI Commission Seeking Postponement
From: Atty. Craig S. Meuser
Chinni & Meuser LLC
30 Avon Meadow Lane
Avon, CT 06001
To: Tracie Brown, Esq.
Hearing Officer
Connecticut Freedom of Information Comission
18-20 Trinity St.
Hartford, CT 06106
Re; Case Nos. FIC 2007-418, 2007-421, and 2007-458
Dear Attorney Brown:
As you may know, this firm represents the Board of Education for Regional District No. 10. As counsel to the Board, we also represent Superintendent Paula Schwartz, the named respondent in the above-captioned matters.
I am writing to request a postponement of the hearing in these three cases, currently scheduled for December 3, 2007. Mrs. Schwartz, the named respondent in these cases and a necessary witness in the hearings concerning these matters, is scheduled to be out of the country on the date in question. Mrs. Schwartz is available on December 13, 17 and 19th, and on January 3, 4, 7.8 or 10th for the hearing.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Craig S. Meuser
Cc: A. Thibault
P. Schwartz
FOI COMPLAINTS PENDING SINCE AUGUST
Avery Doninger Case Readers Digest Version
Avery Doninger, a senior at Lewis S. Mills High School in Burlington, CT,has civil rights actions pending in the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City and U.S. District Court in New Haven. She and her mother, Lauren Doninger, sued Principal Karissa Niehoff and Superintendent Paula Schwartz after they removed Avery from the ballot for Class of 2008 secretary.
Avery Doninger was among a group of four students who lobbied the community for support of an annual battle of the bands sponsored by the Student Council. The student council adviser suggested the students reach out to taxpayers and the students copied the adviser an on email to the community.
Schwartz became very upset after taxpayers called her and she cancelled the event known as Jamfest. Doninger subsequently referred to administratorsin a live journal blog as central office douchebags, and Schwartz's son found the posting while trolling the internet for his mother a couple weeks later. WhileAvery Doninger was banned from school office, another student who called Schwartz a dirty whore was given an award and lauded for citizenship.
School officials suppressed the write-in vote in which Doninger was elected by a plurality. Schwartz refused to accept Doninger's apology for her choice of words. During an assembly, Niehoff banned free-speech and Team Avery t-shirts and seized at least one shirt.
The Doningers are seeking -- among other remedies -- an apology for civil rights violations, recognition of the write-in victory and sharing of the secretary position with the administration-backed candidate.
U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz denied a motion for a preliminary injunction [immediate relief] and his ruling is being appealed to the Second Circuit.
No comments:
Post a Comment