liar..liar...pants on fire !!! That so called "director" should be run out of town on a rail...tarred and feathered of course. No matter what duh judge says!
A judge has ruled against a taxpayer activist group, but the Association for Fair Government isn't giving up.
In an Open Records lawsuit involving access to public records in the city of Augusta's Procurement Department, Judge Carl C. Brown Jr. ruled last week in the city's favor. He ruled the documents the association was requesting were actually a compilation.
Public records must remain open for public review, but governments are not required to compile documents to fit in a requested format, according to the state laws.
The association filed the Richmond County Superior Court petition in October after its Open Records request to see all documents related to informal bids for items costing less than $10,000, sole source purchases and emergency purchases in the year 2007.
Procurement Director Geri Sams contended in court documents and testified in depositions that her department does not maintain those documents. The association needed to contact the various city departments to find those documents, the city contended.
Judge Brown sided with the city. The association could not ask the Procurement Department to gather all of the documents from various departments to prepare summaries for the association.
The association's motion asking the judge to set aside his judgment cites new evidence.
In a deposition of a Procurement Department employee, the association's attorneys learned the documents they are seeking are kept in the Procurement Department, according to the motion.
A Dec. 15 hearing is set on the association's request to reopen the lawsuit.
Reach Sandy Hodson at (706) 823-3226 or sandy.hodson@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
liar..liar...pants on fire !!! That so called "director" should be run out of town on a rail...tarred and feathered of course. No matter what duh judge says!
Geri Sams needs to go PERIOD.
I am glad that the two of you have graduated from Law School, are judges and now know more than the rest of the Court System. It is called due process. A Judge has ruled. The fact that you do not like the ruling " TOUGH".
Seems like the Complainants are too lazy to do their own research. No one is attempting to prevent them from getting the information. The Government does not have to make it easy for you to sue them.
Perhaps perjury charges should be filed next. It seems to me, I am not an attorney, Ms. Sams may have lied. According to testimony by her employee, Ms Sams purposely tried to deceive the courts and the taxpayer activists.
Read the article, folks. There is a new motion to reopen the case because either the Procurement Director or another Procurement Department employee lied in their deposition. Geri Sams said her department does not keep the documents, but another employee said they do. If there is nothing to hide, why would there be so much resistance to producing the documents?
This will bide time to do the Clinton thing; destroy all eveidence.
It sounds like the city is playing the shell games -- you pick which shell the pea is under.
Hypo, were the documents requested so easy for the public to access, the law suit would not be necessary, Geez, just 'cause Sams is black doesn't make her right (other than in your eyes). If the city lied about where these records are kept, the city should be held in contempt of court.
How about raise property taxes and give 'em all raises for doing such a marvelous job of record keeping and testifying under oath.
Lazy is as lazy does. Anyone who has ever tried to get any information from that department has had the same frustrations. Actually, they need an HR overhaul. I guess they get what they pay for.
Jack, just because Sams is Black does not make her wrong, ( other than in your eyes). IF this if that.
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