Here is a document that illustrates how Greensboro's legal staff will abuse the personnel records law to manipulate public opinion. These excerpts are from the document I received in response to a public records request for the results of an online survey asking the public what they want in a new police chief (this prior to the hiring of the current chief):
When it is convenient, the City legal staff maintains that any information it collects about an employee becomes part of that employee's personnel record and is, therefore, secret. Thus, as we see above, the mere writing of an employee's name, even a gender pronoun or a rank describing an employee, can be made secret by that standard.
That's ludicrous, of course. If such a standard were consistently applied, any building permit, bicycle registration or parking ticket with a city employee's name on it would be made secret.
Indeed, the City clearly inconsistently applies this "protection" and releases information it collects about employees when it suits their public relations purposes; when, for example, the City announces commendations, awards, achievements and employee activities, as they do regularly.
The city is capricious in the application of the personnel records law. Councilor Vaughan is right to ask the state attorney general to intervene, but I wonder if, ultimately, it won't fall on the state legislature to update the law so that there is no ambiguity about what is required of those responsible for allowing access to public records.
One thing is clear, Vaughan should not be alone in this fight. I hopefully look forward to other council members joining her in this push for greater transparency. "Transparency" was thrown around a lot by council candidates. Well, here is where the rubber meets the road, folks. Let's see who stands by their promises.
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