Ohio FOIA – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Ohio State Treasurer: Empowering taxpayers to hold politicians accountable

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As Treasurer of Ohio, I believe taxpayers have a right to know how their tax dollars are spent. All too often, we the people aren’t able to follow our money once we write a check to city hall, the state capital or Washington D.C.

The concept is simple. When government is big, the people are small. But when government is small, the people are big. As someone who sees his boss as the 11.5 million people of Ohio, I am all about power to the people.

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Ohio Supreme Court rules that a governor’s pardon does not automatically seal records of the crime

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From Cleveland.com: COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that a person granted a pardon by the governor is not automatically entitled to have the records of their crime and conviction sealed from public view.

Rather, absent requirements in Ohio’s law that it be granted automatically, it should be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine if it is appropriate, the court ruled.

Visit Ceveland.com for more.

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Mayor files public record request against council member, seeks damages

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From Cleveland.com: OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — Mayor Robert Blomquist has filed a public records request against Councilwoman at Large Ann Marie Donegan. He is seeking emails related to a health fair for senior citizens she organized with another council member.

To date, Donegan has not provided the requested emails, and Blomquist said he will seek further legal action.

Visit Cleveland.com for more.

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Opinion: Another week, another dustup over public records issue in Ohio

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From Hudson Hub-Times: Columbus — Not too long after I started covering the Statehouse six years ago, I began keeping tabs on Ohio's Tax Credit Authority.

Each month, I look over the panel's agenda, searching for companies of local interest. Wherever one from Youngstown or Defiance or Cambridge or Wooster or other communities is up for a tax break, I try to attend.

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Destroyed records lead to damages

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From Sandusky Register: In 2010, Tod Wagner sued Huron County Commissioners and the Huron County Airport Authority for what he believed were delayed responses to public records requests — and evidence that other public records had been wrongfully destroyed, according to court documents.

Wagner, whose wife Debbie Lake-Wagner, was a former airport authority board member, first submitted the records requests in October 2010.

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Airport authority will likely appeal ruling in public records case

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From Norwalk Reflector: The Huron County Airport Authority board members decided Wednesday to try and take their case all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Recently, the 6th District Court of Appeals in Toledo ruled the prior airport authority was responsible for the improper and unauthorized destruction of public records at the airport.

Visit Norwalk Reflector for more.

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Ohio Gov. Kasich orders tax-credit values given to companies to remain public information

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From The Columbus Dispatch: Gov. John Kasich has ordered a state agency to end its new policy of keeping secret the estimated values of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of tax credits given to companies each year.

The Republican governor learned yesterday that the state’s Development Services Agency, which reports to him, recently had decided to consider the values of tax credits as “trade secrets” and would no longer release them to the public.

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Sierra Club sues for public records in NE Ohio probe of illegal dumping of fracking wastewater

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From The Republic: COLUMBUS, Ohio — An environmental group seeking documents related to alleged illegal dumping of wastewater from oil and gas drilling into a northeast Ohio storm sewer is suing the state for access to the records.

The Sierra Club filed its suit Monday in the Ohio Supreme Court. The group alleges the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has not produced records responsive to a public records request sent six months ago.

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State cop transfers disputed records as part of sheriff probe

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From Athens News: A thorny dispute over Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly’s allegedly improper disposal of county records continues to evolve on a daily basis.

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Judge rules Strongsville City Schools to release public records to teachers’ union

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From NewsNet5.com:

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – An appeals court judge is ordering the Strongsville City School District to hand over documents dealing with substitute teachers to the teachers’ union.

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