Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Paul Martin serves as the city attorney for University City, Olivette, Rock Hill, Crystal Lake Park and Ellisville.
When does the impeachment of a government official in Ellisville impact University City residents? When the cities share a city attorney. Paul Martin, University City's city attorney since 2011, also serves in that capacity for the cities of Ellisville, Olivette, Rock Hill and Crystal Lake Park. During the recent impeachment of Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul, Martin's name was featured prominently in media coverage of the hearings. Ballwin-Ellisville Patch noted on March 20 that the spotlight fell on "City Attorney Paul Martin, who embattled Mayor Adam Paul has said is acting out of a desire to preserve the hundreds of thousands of dollars he receives in legal fees through his work with the city." Under a service agreement signed when …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The complaint was filed earlier this month.
University City resident Tom Sullivan has withdrawn his Sunshine Law violation complaint against the School District of University City. See our previous story: Sunshine Law Complaint Filed Against U City Schools In a release dated March 15, Sullivan said he had reached an agreement with the district. The original complaint alleging the violation of the state's open record law was filed with the Missouri Attorney General’s office. Sullivan alleged in the complaint that a "considerable effort is being made to keep public records from him." Sullivan met with School Board President Stacy Clay and Superintendent Joylynn Pruitt last week and reached a compromise. See more on Patch:
Thursday, March 14, 2013
U City resident Tom Sullivan filed the complaint; the district says it follows procedure.
A complaint alleging the School District of University City violated the state Sunshine Law has been filed with the Missouri Attorney General’s office. University City resident Tom Sullivan filed the complaint, alleging a "considerable effort is being made to keep public records from him." According to a press release from Sullivan, the school district has "constantly delayed making copies available and wants more than $100 for basic records." Sullivan's release also states he was charged the following fees for records: The School District issued the following statement to University City Patch regarding the complaint: The District follows its procedure when responding to Missouri Sunshine Law requests for materials. We try to process …
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster released the top five Sunshine Law requests of 2012 in honor of Sunshine Week 2013.
Editor's Note: Information provided by the Office of Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster. Attorney General Koster recognized Sunshine Week, March 10-16, 2013, by releasing the top five questions/complaints his office received last year about the Sunshine Law in Missouri. “My office received more than 1,300 Sunshine Law-related questions and complaints in 2012,” Koster said in a release. “Citizens of the Show-Me State expect and deserve their government to be open and transparent as required by law. The Attorney General’s Office will continue to provide guidance to both citizens and public officials on the rights and responsibilities the Sunshine law provides.” Below are the top five questions and concerns the Attorney General’s Office …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The legal opinions from the city's attorney were included in Sunday's University City Bulletin Board email newsletter.
A relatively quiet and quick-moving University City City Council meeting Monday came to a screeching halt as council members, the mayor, the city attorney and members of the audience debated whether Mayor Shelley Welsch violated Missouri's Sunshine Law in her University City Bulletin Board email Sunday night. In the weekly email news blast, the Mayor included information from City Attorney Paul Martin regarding a vote held at the last council meeting as well as the full text of Martin's legal opinion on the University City/Olivette intergovernmental meeting. Councilwoman Paulette Carr, Ward 2, brought the issue up during council comments, which follow the majority of the council agenda. Carr said she was "shocked and dismayed" to see the…
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Thoughts on open government in University City.
Forty years after Missouri became one of the first states with a Sunshine Law ensuring that government meetings are open and accessible to the public, I am concerned that the spirit of the Sunshine Law is not being honored here in University City. First some background and then some examples. The Missouri Sunshine Law mandates that a tentative agenda for every public meeting be posted at least 24 hours in advance of the start of the meeting. This agenda is tentative because, as I have been told, those drafting the legislation understood that not all the business a public body needs or wants to handle at a meeting is, necessarily, known 24 hours in advance. The agendas of our City Council regular sessions always list a beginning item called…
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
University City's attorney says the city council did not violate open records laws by voting on a Loop traffic study in July.
The University City City Council voted again Monday to approve an RFP (request for proposal) on a traffic and parking study for the Delmar Loop area. The council approved the measure 5-0 July 23. It decided to vote again on the measure after Ward 2 Councilwoman Paulette Carr questioned whether the vote was in violation of Missouri's Sunshine Laws. Even though City Attorney Paul Martin found no violation of the open records law in the first vote, the council voted again to seek proposals for the studies. Carr questioned the vote at the council's Aug. 13 meeting, saying that the RFP was not on the agenda prior to the meeting. Council Member Michael Glickert brought it up in a study session prior to the meeting and again during council member…
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Paulette Carr, Ward 2, apologized Monday for what she thought might be a violation of Missouri's Sunshine Law.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Paulette Carr, Ward 2, apologized Monday for what she thought might be a violation of Missouri's Sunshine Law.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Paulette Carr issued a mea culpa Monday night, saying she didn't catch what may have been a violation of Missouri's Sunshine Law and University City's charter at the last council meeting. Carr was referring to the city council's vote on Councilman Michael Glickert's request to seek an RFP (request for proposal) on a Delmar Loop traffic study. The council approved the measure 5-0 July 23. Mayor Shelley Welsch and Councilman Byron Price were not present at the July 23 council meeting. Carr said that the RFP was not on the agenda prior to the meeting but that Glickert brought it up in a council study session prior to the meeting. He then brought it up again during council member comments during the council meeting. "It …
Beth Ryan
4:27 pm on Tuesday, April 16, 2013
If Paul Martin is so convinced he did the right thing, he should go on the Charlie Brennan Show and share his truth with the community. (I hope Charlie reads the deposition first, though.) The media was not 'spoon-fed' material as Martin purports. It is all in the deposition! The item I found most interesting is that Paul Martin and his cohorts (Matt Perillo, Katie James and Company) prepared … more ›