Records Library

Village of Sauk Village Public Access Opinion 20-001 (OMA Request for Review 2019 PAC 60592)

This is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) determination issued on May 27th, 2015 by the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor in response to a request for review submitted by an unnamed individual who had submitted 118 FOIA requests to the University of Illinois over a 12 month period and who argued that their status as new media prevented the U of I from treating them as a recurrent requester.

The PAC had previously determined that the same requester did not qualify as news media in a determination issued three months prior (see 2015 PAC 33323).

The requester provided new information regarding his credentials as news media, but the PAC once again rejected the claim. The PAC argued that nature of the medium used by the requester did not resemble a newspaper, periodical, or a news service.

The PAC determined that the requester did not qualify as news media, and that the U of I had correctly treated the requester as a recurrent requester.

University of Illinois FOIA Request for Review – 2015 PAC 35187 & 35393

This is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) determination issued on February 13th, 2015 by the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor in response to a request for review submitted by an unnamed individual who had submitted 96 FOIA requests to the University of Illinois over a 12 month period and who argued that their status as new media prevented the U of I from treating them as a recurrent requester.

The requester claimed that over the course of 2014, he had issued reports of his “FOIA results at regular intervals to the West Urbana Neighborhood Association (WUNA) listserve” and had also made similar postings to his website over a period of two to three months.

The PAC determined that the requester’s website did not resemble a newspaper, that the requester did not qualify as news media, and that the U of I had correctly treated the requester as a recurrent requester.

University of Illinois FOIA Request for Review – 2015 PAC 33323

This is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) determination issued on December 2nd, 2016 by the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor in response to a request for review submitted by an unnamed individual who claimed that their postings on two different websites qualified them as news media for the purposes of FOIA.

The PAC said that the mere establishment of a website and dissemination of criticism is not sufficient to meet the definition of news media. The PAC discussed various court cases that analyze and distinguish postings to a bulletin board type of website vs the creation of journalistic content similar to that of a printed newspaper.

In considering this particular requester’s qualifications as news media, the PAC noted that the websites cited by the requester simply contained links to public records and links to other news publications, but noted that neither website contained original content and the websites did not resemble a newspaper, periodical or other news service.

The PAC determined that the requester did not qualify as news media and that the City of Collinsville had correctly treated the requester as a recurrent requester.

City of Collinsville FOIA Request for Review- 2016 PAC 44649

These records were provided by the Urbana School District #116 in response to a FOIA request which was emailed on April 16th, 2023 and which stated:
“Please also provide records sufficient to identify (name and email address) of any person currently serving as FOIA Officer (some public bodies have name multiple individuals as FOIA Officers) or who assists in responding to FOIA requests.
Please also provide records sufficient to show how that person or persons were appointed as FOIA Officer (such as a board vote or executive appointment).”

Response Letter 4-24-23

Responsive Docs – certificates

12-15-09 Business Meeting Minutes

12-15-09 Business Meeting Agenda

These records were provided by the Urbana School District #116 in response to a FOIA request which asked for “any reports, memos, or test data regarding asbestos and/or air quality in Wiley Elementary school.” The request asked for 2017 until now, but USD #116 seems to have supplied reports going back to 2001.

Response Letter 4-24-23

Copy of 2001 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 3Yr Reinspection_Redacted

Copy of 2004 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 3Yr Reinspection (1)_Redacted

Copy of 2004 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos Inspection J6752_Redacted

Copy of 2007 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 3Yr Reinspection_Redacted

Copy of 2008 04 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos Inspection J11470 (1)_Redacted

Copy of 2010 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 3Yr Reinspection_Redacted

Copy of 2010 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 3Yr Reinspection_Redacted

Copy of 2017 03 Urbana SD Wiley Elem IEQ J20810_Redacted

Copy of 2017 03 Urbana SD Wiley Elem IEQ J20810A_Redacted

Copy of 2018 07 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos Inspection J21936_Redacted

Copy of 2018 08 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos Inspection J22018_Redacted

Copy of 2019 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 3Yr Reinspection_Redacted

Copy of 2019 05 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos Inspection J22600_Redacted

Copy of 2019 06 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos OM Report J22600A (1)_Redacted

Copy of 2020 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 6Mo Surv J23001

Copy of 2020 07 Urbana SD Wiley Elem 6Mo Surv J23002 (1)

Copy of 2020 07 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos Inspection J23473_Redacted

Copy of 2021 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos 6Mo Surv J23671

Copy of 2021 08 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos 6Mo Surv J23672

Copy of 2022 02 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asbestos 3Yr Reinspection_Redacted

Copy of 2022 08 Urbana SD Wiley Elem Asb 6Mo Surv J24352

Copy of COC-1699009_Redacted

Copy of Project-1699009_20810A-Urbana SD 116- Wiley Elem_Redacted

Project-1699009_20810A-Urbana SD 116- Wiley Elem_Redacted

These records were provided by the Illinois State Board of Elections in response to a FOIA request which asked for all candidate petitions, including all signature and SOE pages, for the Regional Office of Education #9 for 2018 to now.

LEWIS GARY CHAMPAIGN-FORD – SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS REP_2

LEWIS GARY CHAMPAIGN-FORD – SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS REP_0002

HENRY DELORIS CHAMPAIGN-FORD SCHOOL TRUSTEES0002

QUINLAN JANEE CHAMPAIGN-FORD SCHOOL TRUSTEES _2

KERN JEFFREY CHAMPAIGN-FORD SCHOOL TRUSTEES0002

NIEWOLD JAMESM CHAMPAIGN-FORD SCHOOL TRUSTEES0002

WEIBEL CPIUS CHAMPAIGN-FORD SCHOOL TRUSTEES_2

NIEMANN JERRY CHAMPAIGN-FORD SCHOOL TRUSTEES_2

QUINLAN JANEE CHAMPAIGN-FORD SCHOOL TRUSTEES_1

These records were released by the City of Champaign, Illinois in preparation for a City Council vote to approve $329,587 in funding to pay AGB Investigative Services, Inc. for approximately ten private security personnel to engage patrolling the downtown area for the period from May 25, 2023 through January 1, 2024.

Champaign, Illinois Proposed Contract with AGB Investigative Services, Inc (May 2023 to January 2024) (CB 2023-048)

These records, provided by the Champaign County Clerk, show the candidate petitions for the Urbana Unit School District 116 Board of Education, for the April 4, 2023 election.

Exum, Torionna L Stanton, Citlaly Yuritzi – Urbana Unit School District 116, subdistrict 1

Hasanadka, Ravishankar – Urbana Unit School District 116, subdistrict 2

Langendorf, Sheri – Urbana Unit School District 116, Subdistrict 3

Poulosky, Paul – Urbana Unit School District 116, subdistrict 5

Baxley, Benjamin – Urbana Unit School District 116, Subdistrict 7

These records were provided by the City of Evanston, Illinois on March 22nd, 2023 in response to a FOIA request which asked for:
“All complaints/petitions/notices received by the City regarding sexual misconduct within the Parks and Recreation Department.
All reports created in the course of the City’s (or their agents) investigation(s) into the allegations of sexual misconduct regarding lakefront employees, and reports regarding the City’s handling of those incidents.”

The first file is about 20MB in size (this file was inexplicably ~180MB in size from Evanston, but Check CU compressed it), so it may take slightly longer to load/download than a typical PDF.

Evanston, Illinois Lakefront Sexual Misconduct Allegations FOIA Records Supplied on March 22, 2023

Evanston, Illinois Memorandum on Sexual Harassment Concerns on the Lakefront (July 15, 2021)

Report to the City of Evanston Regarding Allegations of Misconduct within the Parks and Recreation Department (February 20, 2022)

These police reports were released by the Village of Rantoul, Illinois on February 16th, 2023. The reports appeared on the Village of Rantoul website, and are in regards to the February 6th, 2023 officer involved shooting that resulted in the death of Champaign, IL resident Azaan Lee.

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Officer Aceves Supplemental Report 1)

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Officer Aceves Supplemental Report 2)

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Officer McComas Supplemental Report 1)

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Officer McComas Supplemental Report 2)

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Officer Mennenga Original Report)

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Sergeant King Supplemental Report 1)

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Sergeant King Supplemental Report 2)

Rantoul, IL Fatal Police Shooting Report, R23-00977, Initial Release (Sergeant Schmidt Supplemental Report)

The Illinois Attorney General releases an annual report summarizing the work of the Public Access Counselor’s Office. This report was released on March 13th, 2023 with the following statement:

“In recognition of Sunshine Week, Attorney General Kwame Raoul released the Public Access Counselor Annual Report with details of a sampling of over 3,300 new matters received in 2022. Additionally, Raoul encouraged the public to join Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officers and public officials in two webinars hosted by the Public Access Counselor (PAC) during Sunshine Week.

The PAC works to increase transparency in Illinois government by resolving disputes regarding public bodies’ compliance with the state’s FOIA and Open Meetings Act (OMA)
The 2022 report also describes how the PAC trained thousands of individuals in seminars related to Illinois’ transparency laws.”

Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor 2022 Annual Report

This is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) non-binding opinion issued by the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor in response to a request for review submitted by the law firm Mandell Menkes on behalf of SpotCrime.

In 2015, SpotCrime began submitting daily FOIA requests to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office seeking crime data. The Sheriff’s Office said they could produce data on a monthly basis, but SpotCrime persisted with daily requests. The Sheriff’s Office labeled SpotCrime as a commercial requester and a recurrent requester. SpotCrime believed those designations were improper, claiming that they counted as news media since the data was ultimately disseminated to the public.

The PAC determined that SpotCrime did not qualify as news media for the purposes of FOIA because they primarily compiled data and a primary reason for doing so was the sell the data to their subscribers, and that SpotCrime did not engage in creating original journalistic content. The PAC recognized that the dissemination of crime data could be a component of news media activities, but engaging in that one activity alone does not determine news media status. The PAC also determined that the Sheriff’s Office had properly designated SpotCrime as a commercial requester.

SpotCrime v Cook County Sheriff’s Office FOIA Request for Review- 2015 PAC 34653

This is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) non-binding opinion issued by the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor in response to a request for review submitted by Local Labs Media Services. The requester alleged that their request to the Cook County Clerk’s Office should be treated as coming from news media, however the PAC determined that the requester did not qualify as news media since they were simply repackaging data and selling it (at a starting price of $500). The requester therefore was not acting as news media as that term is defined in the FOIA, and that the Cook County Clerk did not need to release certain records because the requester’s purpose was commercial in nature.

Local Labs Media Services v Cook County FOIA Request for Review – 2017 PAC 49876

This appellate court finding is written in regards to a FOIA request that was made for Chicago Police misconduct records. The request was made by Jamie Kalven, a reporter who was in the midst of publishing articles on alleged police misconduct.
The appellate court overturned a denial of the records, firmly establishing that records related to the misconduct of public employees are not exempt under FOIA.

Kalven v City of Chicago, 2014 IL App 1121846 (FOIA Denial of Police Misconduct Complaints)

This binding opinion was issued by the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor (PAC) on March 24th, 2022. The PAC issued the determination in regards to the release of complaints made against public employees regarding racism, harassment, or discrimination. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by Chicago CBS reporter Timothy McNicholas seeking such complaints was fully denied by the City of Chicago – Department of Human Resources. Chief Deputy Attorney General Brent Stratton determined that the complaints were not exempt under FOIA, and directed the Department to provide the records.

IAG PAC Binding Opinion 22-005 FOIA Does Not Exempt Complaints Against Public Employees (2021 PAC 69011)

This binding opinion was issued by the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor (PAC) on April 14th, 2017. The PAC issued the determination in regards to the treatment of the McHenry County Blog website, created and maintained by Cal Skinner, as a recurrent requester for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Assistant Attorney General Neil Olson determined that the McHenry Counted Blog qualified as news media, and therefore could not be classified as a recurrent requester. Classification as news media also prevents a public body from classifying a FOIA request as “voluminous”.

IAG PAC Binding Opinion McHenry County Blog News Media Recurrent Requester (2017 PAC 46249)

These documents were provided by Parkland College (Champaign, Illinois) in response to a FOIA request asking for, “any and all records which would show the employment activities of Robert Finney.  This includes records showing which classes teaching, duties such as office hours and mentoring, records showing how many students he has, and what activities make up his working hours.”

Parkland College Employment of Prior Police Chief Robert T Finney, Syllabi, Enrollment Figures (2-24-22)

These spreadsheets show the use of force (or “response to resistance”, as phrased by the Police Department) instances recorded by the Urbana Police Department. The 2021 log appears to be incomplete.

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2010 Use of Force Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2011 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2012 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2013 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2014 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2015 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2016 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2017 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2018 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2019 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2020 Response to Resistance Log

Urbana Illinois Police Department 2021 Use of Force Log

These documents were provided by Parkland College (Champaign, Illinois) in response to a FOIA request asking for “Any and all records related to the employment of Robert T Finney. Records should include, but not be limited to, job advertisements, job requirements, job descriptions, applications, resumes, references, interview schedules, and correspondence related to Finney’s application and hiring process.”

Parkland College Records on Employment of Retired Police Chief Robert T Finney August 31st, 2021

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana, Illinois in response to a FOIA request which asked for correspondence regarding Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) and ALPR distributor Flock Safety from January 1, 2020 to September 20, 2021.

Urbana Correspondence Related to ALPRs Jan-01-2020 to Sept-20-2021

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana, Illinois in response to a FOIA request which asked for records related to the promotion/appointment of James Cory Koker to Lieutenant on March 8^th, 2021.  The files also contain other records related to the appointment such as related emails and applications by Michael P Cervantes and Zachery Mikalik.

OPS Bulletins, Job Description, Survey Info

Urbana 2021-03-08 Liuetenant Appointment Emails

James Cory Koker Personnel File

James Cory Koker Cover Letter, Resume, and Letters of Recommendation

James Cory Koker Lieutenant Offer Letter

Zachery Mikalik Cover Letter and Resume

Michael P Cervantes Cover Letter and Resume

These records were provided in response to a FOIA request submitted to the City of Champaign asking for “All human rights complaints submitted to the City of Champaign in 2010 and 2019”.

Champaign Human Rights Complaints from 2010-2019

Champaign Human Rights Complaints from 2010-2019 Cover Letter

Champaign Human Rights Complaints from 2020 to 03-25-2021

These records were provided in response to a FOIA request submitted to the City of Champaign asking for “All human rights complaints submitted to the City of Champaign in 2020 and 2021”.  The request was submitted in early 2021 so the 2021 portion of the records is only partial.

Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Bannon initially denied the request, but immediately provided the records after a FOIA lawsuit was filed.

Champaign Human Rights Complaints from 2020 to 03-25-2021 Cover Letter

Champaign Human Rights Complaints from 2020 to 03-25-2021

These documents were provided by the City of Danville, Illinois in response to a FOIA request which asked for:

“Any and all records related to the hiring/approval of the new Danville “corporation counsel” on February 16 2021.

Records should include any job listings/postings and all records related to applicants, including email and other written correspondence, attachments such as letters of recommendation, and correspondence to/from references.”

Danville produced a 14 pages of records, but after Check CU questioned the completeness of their response, the City produced additional records.  Without explanation, the Deputy Clerk Megan Mudd had originally failed to produce what she claims is the only letter of reference received by the City.  The letter was from Urbana Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin.  Danville also originally failed to produce James Simon’s list of references and the original job listing, but did supply them after further inquiry.

Danville supplied all PDF’s in a non-searchable image format, but Check CU converted the files to a searchable format.

City of Danville Hiring of James Simon as Corporation Counsel (City Attorney) Records

City of Danville Hiring of James Simon as Corporation Counsel (City Attorney) – Diane Marlin Letter of Reference

City of Danville Hiring of James Simon as Corporation Counsel (City Attorney) – Simon References

City of Danville Hiring of James Simon as Corporation Counsel (City Attorney) – Job Posting

These documents were provided by Champaign County Executive Darlene Kloeppel in response to a FOIA request which asked for:

“All records and documents, including emails, regarding the hiring and employment of William Colbrook.”

Kloeppel responded to the FOIA requests with 260 separate PDF files constituting a total of 519 pages.  Check CU combined the separate PDF files into one single document.

Champaign County Director of Administration William Colbrook Hiring Documents

These documents were provided by Parkland College in response to a FOIA request which asked for:

“Any and all documents related to the employment of William Colbrook (such as wage and employee information).

Any and all documents related to the retirement of William Colbrook, including any related emails.

Please also search for and include any letters of recommendation and any documents related to any future job application(s) by William Colbrook.”

Parkland College produced a 43 pages of records, about half of which are emails.

Police Chief William Colbrook Resignation from Parkland College Documents (February 2021)

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana in response to a FOIA request which asked for:

“Any and all records which show payments and obligations to contractors, companies, or consulting firms made by the City of Urbana and the Urbana Police Department in 2020 and 2021.”

The City produced a 10 page list of expenses from 2020 and part of 2021.  At a glance, the expense list appears to be missing items, such as payments to the Hillard Heintze consulting firm for their review of the Aleyah Lewis arrest, and payments to the law firm Heyl Royster for handling Urbana’s Electoral Board hearings in December 2020.

Urbana City & Police Expenditures 2020 & Partial 2021(2021-F-042)

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana in response to a FOIA request which asked for:

“Any and all records related to the recent decision by the Urbana Police Department to purchase riot helmets and gas masks. This should include any emails related to the planned purchase. This should also include any bids that the UPD has received in regards to the RFP posted on the City website.”

The City provided 74 pages of documents which appear to be almost entirely emails.  Much of the 74 pages repeat the same emails over and over, so there may only be about 20-30 pages of actual records within the package.  It should be noted that this FOIA request was submitted before the riot gear bidding process was complete, so more responsive records likely exist.

Urbana Police Department February 2021 Riot Gear Purchase Documents (2021-F-076)

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana in response to a FOIA request which asked for records related to negotiations the Ward 2 City Council member Erik Sacks claimed he was having with a property developer.  Sacks claimed:

“Thus, there is opportunity for some negotiation between the City and the developer.  To this end and based on feedback I have received from the community, I and Councilperson Maryalice Wu have been working with City staff to request from the developer improvements to the proposed development.  These discussions are ongoing.”

However, the City of Urbana could not locate any records indicating that Erik Sacks was holding any negotiations or discussions with the property developer.

Urbana City Council Member Erik Sacks PUD Negotiations FOIA (2021-F-082)_Redacted

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana in response to a FOIA request which asked for “any and all records and documentation related to Urbana’s treatment of FOIA requesters as “news media”.”  The full version of the FOIA request, which included 5-6 points, is shown in the included PDF.

Urbana produced virtually no records responsive to the request.  Only a short email exchange from City Attorney James Simon to the Public Access Counselor is included, and the rest of the documents are prior PAC opinions.

Ross McNeil, who responded to the request, indicated that Urbana has no rubric for determining if FOIA requesters qualify as “news media”, keeps no list of FOIA requesters who qualify as “news media”, and that no requester has ever attempted to assert “news media” status.

Urbana FOIA Response Letter (2021-F-017) News Media Requesters_Redacted

Urbana FOIA Response Records (2021-F-017) News Media Requesters

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana in response to a FOIA request which asked for:

“Any and all documents related to the original acquisition of Mr McNeil’s services and which show his status and pay rate as an employee or contractor.  Any and all documents which show how Mr McNeil came to be involved with Urbana’s FOIA process in 2020.  Any and all documents which may show Mr McNeil’s timesheets and billing/invoices/paystubs (the past 3 years should suffice).”

Ross McNeil filled the FOIA request himself, and denied a number records, claiming that those records were “preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other Records in which opinions are expressed…”

City of Urbana FOIA Request for Ross McNeil Records (2021-F-024)_Redacted

City of Urbana FOIA Request for Ross McNeil Records (2021-F-024), Email and Attachments

City of Urbana FOIA Request for Ross McNeil Records (2021-F-024), Invoices

City of Urbana FOIA Request for Ross McNeil Records (2021-F-024), Timesheets

These documents were provided by Trisha Crowley of the Champaign League of Women Voters (LWV) in response to an inquiry asking for all “Ask the Candidates” questions submitted to the LWV for the 2021 Primary Candidate Forums held in early January 2021.  The LWV did not ask all questions submitted, citing time constraints.

Champaign League of Women Voters 2021 Primary Candidate Forums Questions (All Candidates)

Champaign League of Women Voters 2021 Primary Candidate Forums Questions (Urbana Mayor)

Champaign League of Women Voters 2021 Primary Candidate Forums Questions (Urbana City Clerk)

Champaign League of Women Voters 2021 Primary Candidate Forums Questions (All Urbana Wards)

Champaign League of Women Voters 2021 Primary Candidate Forums Questions (Champaign Township Supervisor)

These documents were provided by the City of Urbana in response to a FOIA request which asked for “any and all documents related to the initial hiring of Curt Borman, as well as any documents related to his salary during the entire time that he’s worked for the city of Urbana” and “any photos of Curt Borman that the city may possess”.

Curt Borman was hired by the City of Urbana on March 15 of 2007, and was appointed to be Urbana’s FOIA Officer by Mayor Diane Marlin on June 8^th, 2020.

Photo of Urbana Assistant City Attorney Curt Borman

Urbana Assistant City Attorney Curt Borman Application and Employment Documents and Correspondence

Urbana Assistant City Attorney 2006-2007 Hiring Process Documents

This is the court transcript for the FOIA hearing that took place on December 9^th, 2020 for case 2020CH56, Kirk Allen and the Edgar County Watchdogs vs. City of Urbana and Urbana Police Department.  Judge Jason Bohm delivered a summary judgement in favor of the plaintiffs, ordered Urbana to provide the requested records, and scolded the City and the State Police for their impropriety.

Urbana FOIA Court Hearing Transcript on Case 2020CH56 (Carol Ammons Police Report) 2020-12-09

These documents were provided by the Village of Skokie, Illinois.  They show records related to the employment of Curtis Scott Borman as a police officer from January 7, 1988 to January 8, 1998.  Curt Borman is currently employed by the City of Urbana as an Assistant City Attorney, and was appointed by Mayor Diane Marlin to serve as the City’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer on June 8, 2020.

The FOIA request that produce these records was sent on November 4, 2020 and read:

“I am seeking records on the hiring and employment of Curt Borman. My understanding is that he was a police officer for Skokie, but he may have also served other roles. He may have left Skokie around 2007 or earlier. I am requesting any and all records in regards to Borman’s hiring and employment, including salary information, applications, letters of reference, etc… Please include any letters that Skokie may have sent to Borman’s next employer (the City of Urbana, I believe). Please include any complaints that may have been issued against Borman. I am requesting that the documents be submitted electronically by email.”

Village of Skokie, Illinois Records on Curt Borman Employed as a Police Officer 1988-1998

These are the applications received by Mayor Diane Marlin for the Ward 2 City Council seat left vacant by the early resignation of Julie Laut.  The candidates each spoke are the December 14^th City Council meeting, and Marlin is expected to bring an appointment forth to the Council on December 21^st, 2020.

Christopher Hansen December 2020 Ward 2 Application

Joseph Edwards December 2020 Ward 2 Application

Erik Sacks December 2020 Ward 2 Application

Steve Drake December 2020 Ward 2 Application

Steve Drake CV2020

These documents were provided by the Village of Carpentersville in response to a FOIA request asking for information about the employment of Curt Borman, who currently works for the City of Urbana as an Assistant City Attorney while also serving as the City’s FOIA Officer.  The records reveal that Curt Borman worked as an “Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Police” from January 2004 to March 2007.  Included within the records are numerous letters of praise to Curt Borman from various police department officials, as well as his letter of resignation to the Carpentersville Chief of Police in March 2007 when he acquired his current position at the City of Urbana.

The FOIA request that yielded these documents read:

“I am requesting any and all records in regards to Borman’s hiring and employment, including salary information, applications, letters of reference, etc…  Please include any letters that Carpentersville may have sent to Borman’s next employer (the City of Urbana, I believe).  Please include any complaints that may have been issued against Borman.”

Curt Borman Employment with Village of Carpentersville – Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Police

These documents show filings concerning the Open Meetings Act lawsuit filed on November 20^th, 2020 against Mayor Diane Marlin and the Urbana City Council.

Open Meetings Act Complaint Hansen Kraft Allen v Urbana City Council Mayor Marlin 11-20-2020

These documents show a number of posts and memos by the City of Urbana in regards to the appointment of a new Council member to the Ward 2 seat left vacant by Eric Jakobsson’s resignation at the end of June 2020.  Though there were four applicants, only two qualified (Julie Laut and Christopher Hansen).  The included 38 page PDF file shows the applications submitted, as well as a number of related emails, including letters of recommendation.

The FOIA request submitted to attain these documents read, “Please send the following records: Any and all documents related to the recent Ward 2 City Council seat appointment process.  This would include all documents related to advertising the position, the selection process, applications that the City of Urbana received, emails and letters related to the appointment process (including from the public), decisions to extend the application deadline, etc…”

The request was labeled “2020-F-470” by Lizabeth Kay Meharry on August 28, 2020, and the documents were emailed on November 6, 2020 by Ross McNeil.  A review of the documents indicates that the City of Urbana very likely omitted numerous records since none of the records show how anyone at the City contemplated or arranged an appointment process or who directed staff to make various website changes.

Urbana City Countil July 2020 Ward 2 Appointment Emails (FOIA 2020-F-470)

2020_06_09_Press_Release_and _Map_Ward_2_Vacancy_Urbana FINAL

Ward 2 Appointment Instagram Post 1

Ward 2 Appointment Instagram Post 2

Ward 2 Appointment Twitter Post

Ward 2 Appointment Facebook

Ward 2 Appointment – Laut Announcement

Ward 2 Appointment Website Deadline Extension

Ward 2 Appointment Website Page 1

Ward 2 Appointment Website Page 2

Ward 2 Appointment Website Deadline Further Extension

Ward 2 Appointment Facebook Deadline Further Extension

These records were provide by the City of Urbana on November 2^nd 2020 in response to a FOIA request submitted on September 23^rd, 2020.  The request asked for any and all documents related to the new Community Engagement Coordinator position (which had been filled by Lemond Peppers) and the new Human Rights and Equity Officer (which had not yet been filled).  The request further clarified: “Document should include, but not be limited to, job descriptions, applications & attached documents, correspondence with/about applicants, documents indicating pay/salary, etc…”

Since Lemond Peppers had already been hired by the City, these documents include his application, resume, and various correspondence.  For ease of access, Check CU has parsed out Lemond Peppers’s application and resume from the bulk FOIA response into its own PDF.

Urbana Community Engagement Coordinator (Lemond Peppers) and Human Rights and Equity Officer (FOIA 2020-F-536)

Lemond Peppers Application & Resume – Urbana Community Engagement Coordinator

This is a full document suite concerning Urbana’s new public input rules which were established in October of 2020.  Despite having already exercised her new rules at the September 14^th City Council meeting, Mayor Diane Marlin first brought an ordinance proposal to the Urbana City Council Committee of the Whole on September 21^st, 2020.  Then Marlin brought a modified proposal to the October 5^th, 2020 Committee of the Whole meeting.  Urbana City Council passed an amended version of the 2^nd proposal on October 12^th (against the urging of Urbana residents).  Urbana City Attorney James Simon claimed that a number of PAC Open Meetings Act opinions and court cases supported the City’s speech restrictions.  Those cases were finally cited in the public input rules posted for the October 19^th Urbana City Council meeting, and all of those cases and opinions are included here as well.  The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is currently investigating likely Open Meetings Act violations associated with Urbana’s new public input rules, and James Simon cited the same PAC opinions and court cases in his response letter for that investigation.

Urbana City Code Section 2-4 Public Meetings

Ordinance Amending Urbana City Code, Chapter 2, Section 2-4 (abandoned in committee – replaced with Section 2-5 proposal)

Ordinance Amending Urbana City Code, Chapter Two, Addition of Section 2-5 (Electronic Virtual Public Meetings) 2020-09-049 (2020-10-05)

Ordinance Amending Urbana City Code, Chapter Two, Addition of Section 2-5 (Electronic Virtual Public Meetings) 2020-09-049 (2020-10-12)

Ordinance Amending Urbana City Code, Chapter Two, Addition of Section 2-5 (Electronic Virtual Public Meetings) 2020-09-049 Final, Passed

Urbana Public Input Rules Derived from Ordinance 2020-09-049 (posted for 2020-10-19 City Council Meeting)

Illinois Open Meetings Act Request for Review 2019 PAC 59187

Illinois Open Meetings Act Request for Review 2018 PAC 55462

Illinois Open Meetings Act Request for Review 2016 PAC 45349

Illinois Open Meetings Act Request for Review 2015 PAC 38037

Milestone v City of Monroe (Complaint)

Milestone v City of Monroe (Order)

Milestone v City of Monroe (Opinion of the Court by Judge Sykes)

Milestone v City of Monroe (Judgement)

Vega v Chicago Board of Education (Complaint)

Vega v Chicago Board of Education (Notice from Chicago Public Schools to Vega – 1)

Vega v Chicago Board of Education (Notice from Chicago Public Schools to Vega – 2)

Vega v Chicago Board of Education (Memorandum Opinion and Order)

Vega v Chicago Board of Education (Judgement)

Sandefur v Village of Hanover Park (Complaint)

Sandefur v Village of Hanover Park (Memorandum Opinion and Order)

Sandefur v Village of Hanover Park (Judgement)

I A Rana Enterprises Inc v City of Aurora (Complaint)

I A Rana Enterprises Inc v City of Aurora (Memorandum Opinion and Order)

I A Rana Enterprises Inc v City of Aurora (Judgement)

These documents show the Open Meetings Act request for review filed by Christopher Hansen in regards to the 2020 September 14^th Urbana City Council meeting.  At this meeting, Mayor Diane Marlin announced new speaking rules for public input that would reduce speaking times and place multiple content-based speaking restrictions upon the public.  Marlin then proceed to interrupt and mute speakers more than a dozen times.  Council members Dennis Roberts and Julie Laut also aided Marlin in interrupting speakers.  Deputy Public Access Counselor at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office determined that an investigation was warranted, and Urbana City Attorney issued a lengthy response defending Diane Marlin.  Additional PAC opinions cited by Simon in his response letter are also included.

2020-09-14 Urbana City Council OMA Violations Request for Review (PAC 64787) Initial Complaint

Urbana City Code Section 2-4 Public Meetings

2020-09-14 Urbana City Council OMA Violations Request for Review (PAC 64787) Leah Bartelt Further Action Letter

2020-09-14 Urbana City Council OMA Violations Request for Review (PAC 64787) James Simon Response Letter

2020-09-14 Urbana City Council OMA Violations Request for Review (PAC 64787) James Simon Response Letter (Original With Attachments)

2020-09-14 Urbana City Council OMA Violations Request for Review (PAC 64787) 2nd Complaint Letter

2020-09-14 Urbana City Council OMA Violations Request for Review (PAC 64787) 2nd Complaint Letter (Attachment)_redacted

Illinois Open Meetings Act Request for Review 2019 PAC 59187

Illinois Open Meetings Act Request for Review 2018 PAC 55462

Illinois Open Meetings Act Request for Review 2016 PAC 45349

These documents show an Urbana Human Rights Complaint against Marion Knight Jr., Tom Betz, Traci E. Nally, Elizabeth Borman, and Elizabeth Hannan.  The complaint alleges that these individuals violated the Urbana Human Rights Ordinance by discriminating against individuals in regards to employment at the City of Urbana.  City Attorney James Simon issued a determination of no jurisdiction, which is also included, along with a copy of the Urbana Human Rights Ordinance.

2020-09-14 Urbana Human Rights Complaint on Knight, Betz, Nally, Borman, Hannan_redacted

James Simon Determination on Urbana Human Rights Complaint on Knight, Betz, Nally, Borman, Hannan

Urbana Human Rights Ordinance (City Code Chapter 12 – Human Rights)

These documents show the illegal City of Urbana FOIA fees notice posted (multiple variants) to the City website by Assistant City Attorney Curt Borman.  Borman removed the fees notice after the Illinois Attorney General said, multiple times, that the fees were illegal.  Borman was attempting to charge voluminous request fees to every person that the City claimed was a recurrent requester, which included multiple people who were not even recurrent requesters.

2020-10-02 City of Urbana July 27 2020 FOIA Fees Document (2020-F-540)

Here are some basic records on the Kiwane Carrington death.  The one pdf document contains the civil lawsuit filed by Kenesha Wiliams on behalf the estate of Kiwane Carrington, the lawsuit filed by Jeshaun Manning-Carter, a report from the State’s Attorney Julia Rietz, a report to the City Manager by retired police chief Eddie B. Adair and retired judge John P. Freese, and an internal firearms discharge review board report and transcript.

City of Champaign FOIA 20-174 Kiwane Carrington Death

These records show the City of Urbana violating the FOIA by failing to adequately search for the specified records.  The Illinois Attorney General ruled (PAC 62770) that while Urbana did not improperly withhold records, they did fail to conduct a reasonable search for records which they knew to exist.  The effect is the same as improperly withholding records.  City Clerk Charles Smyth handled the initial response, with which the PAC ultimately took issue.  Urbana eventually provided additional records which demonstrated that they had intentionally and illegally withheld documents from three previous FOIA requests dating back nearly two years.  The scandal involved Todd Rent, Michelle Brooks, Charlie Smyth, Wendy Hundley, and more recently, Curt Borman.

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-187 (PAC 62770) Determination of Violation

These documents contain the court pleadings for the Tavion Jones-Premo lawsuit against the City of Champaign and police officers Timothy Atteberry, Dane Kaldahl, Arthur Miller, Jordan Hagemann, James Hobson, and Sergeant Brian Rogers.  The lawsuit alleges excessive force, false arrest, failure to intervene, failure to provide medical care, and civil conspiracy.  Also included, the $74,500 settlement document.

City of Champaign FOIA 20-178 Tavion Jones-Premo Lawsuit

CB 2020-102 A Resolution Authorizing Settlement (Tavion J Jones-Premo v City of Champaign, et al) (Case No

These records show the City of Urbana violating the FOIA by applying exemptions falsely.  The Illinois Attorney General ruled (PAC 59241) that Urbana illegally denied records.  Human Resources Director Todd Rent handled the response and issued the denial, which was ultimately ruled unlawful.  Urbana eventually provided records, 6 months after the initial.  The provided records still had heavy redactions, and an additional determination is still pending as of September 2020 (14 months after the initial FOIA request).

Urbana FOIA Request Submitted 2019-07-25 (Labeled 2019-F-407)_Redacted

Urbana Response to FOIA Request 2020-F-276 by Todd Rent

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2019-F-407 (PAC 59241)_Redacted

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2019-F-407 (PAC 59241) Todd Rent Response_Redacted

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2019-F-407 (PAC 59241) Hansen Response

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2019-F-407 (PAC 59241) Determination of Violation_Redacted

Urbana Supplemental Response to FOIA Request 2019-F-407 (After Appeal)

Urbana Supplemental Response to FOIA Request 2019-F-407 (After Appeal) Records Provided

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2019-F-407 (PAC 59241) Hansen Response Followup

These records show the proposed ordinance change to the Urbana City Code which provides rules for public input at meetings.  The ordinance (Ordinance No. 2020-09-049) was authored by City Attorney James Simon at the direction of Mayor Diane Marlin.  For some reason, Marlin did not wish the ordinance text to be publicly visible and, unlike most proposed ordinances, was not included in the meeting agenda packet.  The agenda showing links to the text of other ordinances, but not this one, is also included, as we as the original text of Urbana City Code Section 2-4.

UCC Sec 2-4 – Public Meetings – FINAL DRAFT

09-21-2020_Agenda_links

2-4-public-meetings

These records show the compliments/commendations recorded by the Champiagn Police Department during 2020, up to mid September.

Champaign Police 2020 Compliments (as of Sept 17, 2020)

This email and attachment were sent by Mayor Diane Marlin on September 12, 2020 to the Urbana City Council and City Department Heads.  It shows, among other things, Marlin’s plan to regulate and restrict speech at public meetings.  The attached Word document shows the list of people invited to attend Hillard Heintze “stakeholder sessions”.

Mayor-Diane-Marlin-Public-Meeting-Speech-Restriction-Email-Full

Hillard _Heintz _stakeholder_sessions

On August 3^rd 2020 Lt. Kevin Olmstead of the Champaign Police Department presented to the Champaign Human Relations Commission on the “2019 Summary of Champaign Police Department Citizens Complaints”.  These are the documents provided by the City of Champaign representing the compliments and commendations.

Champaign Police Department Commendations (2019)

These documents were released to the Urbana City Council on September 4th in preparation for the Hillard Heintze review to take place at the September 8th City Council meeting.

Hillard Heintze Report for the City of Urbana – 07-08-20

Hillard Heintze Report for the City of Urbana – 09-03-20

Appendix J – Public City Council Presentation

Appendix L – Hillard Heintze City of Urbana Learning Sessions Invitation

Appendix M – Hillard Heintze Community Stakeholder Learning Session Questionnaire

Emails and other records related to the contracting of Chicago Firm Hillard Heintze to review the arrest of Aleyah Lewis and Kamarion Busby on April 10, 2020.

Urbana 2020 Hillard Heintze Review Emails (Set 1)

Urbana 2020 Hillard Heintze Review Emails (Set 2)

Urbana 2020 Hillard Heintze Review Emails (Set 3)

GENERAL THEMES AND QUESTIONS EMERGING FROM PUBLIC INPUT TO CITY COUNCIL

HH Addendum

HH Scope

Hillard Heintze Agreement Executed

Hillard Heintze City of Urbana Statement of Qualifications – 05-27-20

Hillard-Heintze-Memo-to-City-Council

Hillard Heintze Proposal for City of Urbana

Top Ten Themes for HH

These records show the City of Urbana violating the FOIA law in regards to fees.  The Illinois Attorney General ruled (PAC 63421) that Urbana illegally attempted to charge the requester $767.97 in fees.  FOIA Officer Curt Borman handled the response and assessed the fees which were ultimately ruled illegal.  More than 4 months after the initial FOIA request, Urbana still has not provided the requested records.

Urbana FOIA Request Submitted 2020-05-15 (Labeled 2020-F-276)

Urbana Response to FOIA Request 2020-F-276

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-276 (PAC 63421)

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-276 (PAC 63421) Curt Borman Response

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-276 (PAC 63421) Curt Borman Response Reference to PAC63412

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-276 (PAC 63421) Determination of Violation

Urbana Supplemental Response to FOIA Request 2020-F-276 (After Appeal)

These records show the City of Urbana violating the FOIA law in multiple ways.  The Illinois Attorney General ruled (PAC 63412) that Urbana illegally attempted to charge the requester $119.62 in fees, and also illegally denied police body camera video.  FOIA Officer Curt Borman handled the response and assessed the fees and denials which were ultimately ruled illegal.  More than 4 months after the initial FOIA request, Urbana still has not provided the requested records, and is still trying to charge $5 in illegal fees.

Urbana FOIA Request Submitted 2020-05-14 (Labeled 2020-F-269)

Urbana Response to FOIA Request 2020-F-269

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-269 (PAC 63412)

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-269 (PAC 63412) Curt Borman Response

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-269 (PAC 63412) Hansen Response

Urbana FOIA Appeal on 2020-F-269 (PAC 63412) Determination of Violation

Urbana Supplemental Response to FOIA Request 2020-F-269 (After Appeal)

Records related to the hiring of Urbana City Attorney, James L. Simon.

Documents

Hiring and resignation of Todd Rent, consolidation of Urbana Human Resources Department and Finance Department, appointment of Elizabeth Hannan as the new Human Resources and Finance Director/Chief Financial Officer.

FOIA-Urbana-2020-F-134-Hiring-Resignation-Todd-Rent-Consolidation-Human Resources-and-Finance

These documents show a FOIA appeal to the PAC and the resulting determination that METCAD violated FOIA.  The original request to METCAD was for documents and audio related to the April 10 2020 arrest of Aleyah Lewis.  METCAD denied the request but the PAC overruled.  However, METCAD never complied with the PAC’s determination.

METCAD serves multiple local public bodies, including Urbana, Champaign, and the U of I.  Mayor Diane Marlin and Chief Bryant Seraphin sit on the METCAD Policy Board.  A copy of the the latest METCAD Policy Board meeting minutes is also included in the document set to show the makeup of the board.  This document is not related to the FOIA appeal.

Metcad FOIA Request – Aleyah Lewis incident 2020-04-21

METCAD Aleyah Lewis FOIA Denial 2020-04-24

METCAD Aleyah Lewis FOIA PAC Appeal (62969) 2020-05-11

METCAD Aleyah Lewis FOIA PAC Appeal Response (62969) 2020-07-02

METCAD Aleyah Lewis FOIA PAC Appeal Determination (62969) 2020-08-04

03-05-20 Regular Meeting Minutes

These records show the Urbana Police Department juvenile arrest data requested and brought to light by Ameena Payne.  The records include the full year 2019 and partial year 2020 (through July).  Ms. Payne’s original FOIA request is also included.

2020-405 (Payne) – Redacted

2020-405 (Payne)_Juvenile Arrests – 2020

2020-405 (Payne)_Juvenile Arrests – 2019

On July 20th, at an Urbana City Council meeting, James Simon falsely claimed that his personal address was not public information and that if it were released through FOIA he ” would be in court in about 8 minutes to prevent that, and if I was too late to prevent it, I’d be set seeking hefty damages.”  These records from the Champaign County Recorder of Deeds are posted here simply to show that James Simon’s claims about FOIA were wrong.  A full article about this event can be viewed here: https://checkcu.org/calling-simons-bluff/

James Leo Simon & Shelley M Simon Mortgage (608 S McKinley Ave Champaign)

James Leo Simon & Shelley M Simon Deed (608 S McKinley Ave Champaign)

This memo was posted within the agenda items for the July 13th, 2020 Urbana City Council Meeting.  Within the memo, Mayor Diane Marlin supports the application of excessive and illegal FOIA fees.

Urbana-Mayor-Marlin-FOIA-Memo-2020-07-10

These documents were release at the onset of the hiring of the Chicago firm Hillard Heintze by the City of Urbana.

Hillard Heintze City of Urbana Statement of Qualifications – 05-27-20

Hillard Heintze Agreement Executed

Memo_HH

These records show the commendations recorded by the Champiagn Police Department during 2018, and the first half of 2019.

Champaign Police Department Commendations (2018)

Champaign Police Department Commendations (2019 as of June 2019)

These are records from the City of Champaign regarding recently retired Champaign Police Officer James Brian Clark’s application to the University of Illinois Police Department in 2018.

City of Champaign Records on Police Officer James Clark U of I Police Application in 2018

City of Champaign Records on Police Officer James Clark U of I Police Application in 2018 (Supplemental Response)