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Thursday, February 21, 2013

VARIOUS MAPLE HEIGHT'S PUBLIC EMPLOYEES CONTINUE TO DISAPPOINT ME



In the past, I've requested public records.  Some of the records I've received have been on plain paper.  The public record wasn't on Maple Heights stationery, there was no public employee signature indicating who prepared the document/record; there was no official Maple Heights seal or official Maple Heights stamp, or official city of Maple Heights label on it.  There was nothing to identify the paper as an official city of Maple Heights record. 

So, on February 17, 2013, I made the following request, which I felt was quite reasonable.






MHAAG <mhaagazette@gmail.com>
Feb 17
to Kathy, Maple, JACQUELINE, Crews, JLansky,
Dear Ms. Unger,

I am requesting that all future requested records/documents from the city of Maple Heights be presented on city of Maple Heights stationery, or be stamped with an official city of Maple Heights stamp/seal, or has an official city of Maple Heights label that is difficult to remove.

As it stands now, anyone can state that the record/s/document/s/correspondence presented on plain paper are not from the city of Maple Heights regardless if they came in a city of Maple Heights envelope.


Please respond within 10 business days, by fax, email, or regular mail only.


Sincerely,
Elaine Stone


Here's Mr. Blair Melling's response (View at a zoom of 200% or more) - Since I made no request for anything on February 19, 2013, I'm assuming he's referencing the above:

 

As you can see, Mr. Blair Melling has clearly stated that nothing will change.  

Mr. Blair Melling is about evidence when it comes to protecting his, Mayor Jeffrey Lansky, and John Montello's reputation (February 4, 2013 letter). 

 In my opinion, this looks to me like certain public employees in the city of Maple Heights are trying to protect themselves. 


When data is presented as a public record, someone needs to be accountable and held responsible for that record.  In my opinion, if there's no signature, no official city of Maple Heights seal or stamp, or official city of Maple Heights label, or is not on city of Maple Heights stationery, there's no accountability and no one is responsible for the document/record's preparation, accuracy or reliability.  In a court of law, I don't think it would be considered as evidence that it came from the city of Maple Heights/city of Maple Heights public employee.  In my opinion, maybe that's why Mr. Melling wants things to stay the same.


I'm also troubled by (again) the February 4, 2013 letter. If Mr. Melling is so concerned about protecting the reputations of the mayor, himself and Mr. Montello, (in my opinion) he might be reluctant to release documents /records that would reflect badly on himself, the mayor, or Mr. Montello. I also wonder why Mr. Blair Melling feels it's in his job description to protect the reputations of Mr. Montello, Mayor Lansky, and himself. If it is in his job description, I think we better remove it now. Let them pay for their own attorney to protect their "reputations". ***

Mr. Blair Melling, Mayor Jeffrey Lansky, and John Montello, are public servants whose salaries are paid by the taxpayers in Maple Heights. The taxpayers are their employers, and I for one, do not want individuals representing me who won't provide clear evidence that a document/record was from Maple Heights government. Therefore, I have no trust in the above named individuals. I also would like you to see to whom he sent a copy of his decision.


 
Again read my request, and read Mr. Melling's response, and you decide if you feel comfortable with Mr. Melling's response. I don't.
 
 
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*** UPDATE March 1, 2013 :
Guess whose reputation is called into question with this latest stunt by the mayor?:

 
 
Note:
It also looks like Blair Melling and John Montello are from the same law firm (check this out), and therefore, I feel there is a conflict of interest.
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If no one is willing to accept responsibility for the accuracy of a document/record, then they are not accountable and I would question the document/records reliability.


Anyone who is unwilling to sign a document/record should be removed from office; or if they won't affix a stamp, or seal, or label that indicates where the document/record came from, they should also be fired.

Anonymous said...

So with no one wanting to attest to the reliability of (or verify) any data provided, I guess it will take the Federal government checking the bank records of Maple Heights, credit cards issued to Maple Heights/Maple Heights public employees, and bank records of every employee and contractor. That may take a few years, but it can be done, and in this case, I would do it.

Anonymous said...

If we didn't see the potential for real abuse here, this whole damn thing would be hilarious.

Here's our take: This guy is essentially saying he/city of Maple Heights can put anything out there, on any medium (hell, on sheepskin if they want) with no accountablity whatsoever, while he and his buddy from the (what? same law firm) protect each other's asses and the mayor's ass who picked the law director, and then continue to prosecute, fine the hell out of, withhold whatever they think is not a public record from the very people who pay their salary. Oh this is priceless.

What we think ... Kick their butts back where they came from (and we're pretty positive it wasn't Maple Heights). The mayor's butt .. well, since he hasn't fired these guys, ... he can go right along with them (whether he does or does not live in Maple Heights -ha ha)

Anonymous said...

"Maple Heights Mayor Jeffrey Lansky offers epic rant against FirstEnergy that obscures complaints about street lights and poor service: Mark Naymik"

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2013/03/maple_heights_mayor_jeffrey_la.html

Disgraceful ... Any comments Mr. Melling?