The Village of Wheeling and the Edgar County Watchdogs (ECW) don't agree on the definition of “public record,” according to an article by the ECW's John Kraft.
Kraft has requested three days of surveillance video of the first-floor lobby of the Village Hall to check the arrival and departure of elected officials, including Village Manager John Sfondilis.
"Wheeling responded with a request to narrow the scope of the request, which I did, but they also made up a new definition of 'public record' to suit their own needs of keeping things from the public," Kraft posted on the ECW's Illinois Leaks website, adding that the response read: “The Village’s decision to use and its placement of security cameras is a function of a property owner, not a government.“
Village Manager Jon Sfondilis
| The Daily Herald
Kraft ridiculed the interpretation, saying sarcastically that the village could do the same with officials' use of credit and vehicles.
"They should patent that phrase and all it encompasses, maybe even expand on the idea," he wrote. “The bottom line here, is that electronic card swipe information and camera footage are public records and they do have to provide the requested records. Apparently it will take a Judge to force them to comply with the Freedom of Information Act."
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