Such a simple request: the LEDC has PUBLICLY bragged about “20 to 35 jobs” being ‘announced’ – not to mention $700,000 in “capital investment.” I filed an Open Records Request asking the name of the company back on June 28th (as well as several times weeks earlier in an “unofficial” capacity).
That’s it. Just a name. Not details of any deals. Not trade secrets. Not proprietary information. Just spit out the name of the company that YOU brought up PUBLICALY in order to brag and make yourselves look like you were doing something amazing by creating all these jobs.
Boy has that backfired.
You think maybe Stacey Ybarra or Misti Talbert or whoever it was who invented the idiotic “Economic Development Matrix” wishes they had just kept their mouths shut?
Because now somebody has been trapped in a lie. Either the LEDC or the hack attorney JC Brown. Only a matter of time before we find out which. My money is on the LEDC but I sure hope it is JC Brown because that would be a HUGE professional embarrassment for her: lying to the Attorney General of Texas about there being “no agreements or contracts.”
The City has 10 business days to respond or to request an attorney general ruling. That deadline was yesterday. They have done neither. I’ll now be filing a complaint with the Open Records Division of the Texas Attorney General’s office.
I hate to call out a City council member publicly but I am left no choice in making a thorough retelling of what happened: I also informed Zac Morris (who is second in command over there as Mayor Pro Tem) by email over a week ago that the City was ignoring requests and playing games. He didn’t bother to answer either.
Not a good look.
Anyways, I would suggest the City do a little research on recent cases involving citizens suing Texas municipalities. Maybe ask themselves if they want to go down this road and waste even MORE tax dollars on this nonsense. Because I’ll never, ever stop until I get the answer.
Texas Lawsuits Set New Precedent on Public Information Law Requests