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I’m a reporter with the Niagara Gazette following up on last week’s city council meeting where a council member requested updated legal costs for the ongoing eminent domain dispute with Niagara Falls Redevelopment. He’s been trying to get this information for months without success.
I’ve also filed two FOIL requests for the same information, both ignored.
In your opinion, should a sitting councilman be able to obtain updated legal bills for a case where the legal fees are funded with public money? Is this something the city can legally withhold from public view? How do you feel about the way the administration has handled this situation so far?
Thanks in advance for your insights.
Elected officials and the public have the right to know how their tax dollars are being spent. It should not take months for a city councilmember to have their questions answered, and FOIL requests submitted by the Niagara Gazette should not be ignored.
It’s clear that either the mayor is embarrassed by the amount of legal fees incurred or is too stubborn to provide an answer—both are unacceptable responses.
The public has a right to know, and keeping them in the dark is not how city government is supposed to operate.