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21
Mar 2008
REIS v. Northville Township: A good example of the necessity of freedom of information
Posted by Scott Spielman
at 2:48 PM | Comments
Something has been bugging me for about three weeks now, ever since I called to get an update on the issue between Northville Township and REIS.
Both sides said they were asked by Judge Sean Cox not to discuss the issue with the media.
They couldn’t talk about what was going on. They couldn’t talk about what wasn’t going on. They weren’t even sure—and were very nervous about—letting anyone know if there was an upcoming hearing.
Now, I know better than to ask or talk about ongoing litigation, what takes place behind closed doors and all that. Still, I was concerned about this because: (a) the lawsuit is for potentially $100 million of taxpayer money; (b) there was a possibility that 400 acres of land could be annexed to Livonia; © either way, this has the potential to impact every resident of the community and (d) no matter what happens with it, it’s costing taxpayers in the amount of ongoing legal fees.
The public has the right to know, at the very least, whether the two sides are still negotiating and trying to come to a compromise, even if the details of that compromise can’t be discussed.
Here in Michigan we in the newspaper business have been celebrating or talking about Sunshine Week, where we discuss the importance of access to information in order to better serve our role as a municipal watchdog. It’s not directly related to this, since it mostly centers on the Freedom of Information Act, but it does highlight the necessity of keeping the public informed.
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