Fight Over Public Records In Framingham May Mean New Policies

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer appeared before City Council Tuesday night to answer questions about how the city releases public records, a process that Councilors allege is hostile and difficult for citizens and local media.

At the same time, a Council committee is pursuing several policy changes that might make city government more transparent, including publishing materials related to public meetings before they are held.

Spicer's appearance before Council came after several attempts by the Council to call the city's chief records officer, Todd Palmer, to discuss requests under the state's public records law. Palmer has declined to attend Council meetings citing a medical condition.

Chief Operating Officer Thatcher Kezer previously answered questions on the topic, but Councilors requested the mayor after the state overruled the city over a request for emails related to former health director Dr. Sam Wong's resignation. The city initially refused to release the records to Patch citing Wong's medical privacy, but the emails were ultimately released because they did not contain any information about Wong's health.

Before answering questions, Spicer gave a presentation about the city's public records process. She highlighted the city is on pace to see 2,400 records requests in 2021, the highest amount in about five years. Spicer also focused on the dozens of requests that come from Frank Wood, a pseudonym used by a group of contributors to the website Framingham Forward.

But the discussion turned back to the Wong emails, with District 4 Councilor Michael Cannon accusing Spicer's administration of dishonesty. The mayor told Cannon to "stop insinuating I'm a liar."

"I am declaratively saying you have been caught being dishonest," Cannon replied. "My words are declarative and careful and backed up by evidence."

Following up, At-Large Councilor Janet Leombruno suggested the public records process should be placed under a non-political department like IT or the City Clerk — something that other local communities do, she said.

Some City Councilors highlighted their own problems getting information from the city. District 7 Councilor Margareth Basilio Shepard said she's been denied records about accidents and city-owned properties, which left her "speechless." District 6 Councilor Philip Ottaviani has called the culture inside Memorial Hall the "secret squirrel society" — a reference to how difficult it is to get information.

"There needs to be a culture shift so we can get out of this loop," Council Vice Chair Adam Steiner said.

On Wednesday, District 8 Councilor John Stefanini's ordinance and rules committee will meet to discuss a slate of policy changes aimed at transparency. The changes would give the City Clerk the responsibility of responding to Council-specific public records requests, and create a page on the website to publicize all measures passed by the Council, including rollcall votes.

On public records in general, Stefanini is proposing a new citywide policy on access to records. He also wants all contracts and licenses available on the city website, and wants to require that all boards and commissions post meeting materials before the meeting time. Right now, boards mostly only post agendas without supporting materials.

Finally, Stefanini wants Spicer to convene a panel to review the public records process and make improvements.

You can read Stefanini's memo on the changes here:

FC Report on Increasing Transparency by Neal McNamara on Scribd