NJCSC – Internal Communications
Dear Civil Service Commission,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-5(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
1. Communications Involving Hari Sundar
All communications to, from, or involving
Hari Sundar
including emails (with attachments), internal messages, memoranda, and notes, that reference or relate to:
In the Matter of Patrick Geary
In the Matter of Charles Dishon
Any reconsideration request(s) associated with those matters
2. Internal NJCSC Communications
All internal communications among NJCSC staff (including commissioners, analysts, counsel, or administrative personnel) that:
Reference the above matters
Discuss factual assertions made by Ocean County or its representatives
Reflect review, verification, or reliance upon information provided by Ocean County
Contain summaries or characterizations of submissions made by Ocean County
3. Segregable Factual Material
To the extent any exemption is asserted, including the deliberative process privilege, I specifically request:
All segregable factual material contained within otherwise exempt records, including:
Factual summaries of communications with Ocean County
Statements reflecting what Ocean County represented to NJCSC
Chronologies or timelines of events
Attachments, exhibits, or source documents
4. Internal Records Referencing External Communications
All internal NJCSC records that:
Quote, summarize, or reference communications with Ocean County
Reflect what was conveyed by Ocean County regarding:
Staffing needs
Promotional justifications
Use of eligible lists
Creation of positions
5. Drafts and Revisions
All drafts or revised versions of:
Decisions
Recommendations
Summaries
Relating to the Geary and Dishon matters, to the extent they contain factual differences or additions from final versions.
6. Timeframe
January 1, 2024 through the date of fulfillment.
7. Certification / Redactions
Provide certification of non-existence where applicable
Provide a privilege log for any withheld material
Identify the legal basis for each redaction
8. Statutory Compliance
A response is requested within seven (7) business days as required by OPRA.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Resident
Dear Resident,
Your OPRA request outlined below was forwarded to me today, April 15, 2026. I am seeking clarification regarding part of your request quoted below. Please clarify and identify the record sought with specificity. Once I receive clarification, I can continue to process your request.
"4. Internal Records Referencing External Communications
All internal NJCSC records that:
Quote, summarize, or reference communications with Ocean County Reflect what was conveyed by Ocean County regarding:
Staffing needs
Promotional justifications
Use of eligible lists
Creation of positions"
The OPRA Office
NJ Civil Service Commission
Dear CSC-OPRArequest [CSC],
I apologize for the formatting error. The text was copied from a Word document and did not properly translate into the OPRAmachine format. Please see the corrected request below:
4. Internal NJCSC Records
All internal NJCSC records that:
- Reference or summarize communications with Ocean County
- Reflect deliberations or analysis based on County submissions
- Include notes, meeting minutes, call logs, or internal emails referencing Ocean County
Yours sincerely,
Resident
Dear Resident,
I believe your response highlighted below, is regarding a different OPRA
request submitted via the OPRA Machine website, on the same day that this
request was submitted. I am seeking clarification regarding the portion of
your request quoted below. Please clarify and identify the record sought
with specificity. This may also be a formatting error, however, please
also identity the record sought with specificity. Once I receive
clarification, I can continue to process your request.
"4. Internal Records Referencing External Communications All internal
NJCSC records that:
Quote, summarize, or reference communications with Ocean County Reflect
what was conveyed by Ocean County regarding:
Staffing needs
Promotional justifications
Use of eligible lists
Creation of positions"
The OPRA Office
NJ Civil Service Commission
Dear CSC-OPRArequest [CSC],
Thank you for your prompt response. You are correct—my prior submission appears to have contained a formatting issue, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify.
With respect to Item #4, I am seeking specific, identifiable records within the possession of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission that memorialize or reflect communications received from Ocean County regarding the promotional matters at issue.
To clarify, Item #4 is intended to capture:
4. Internal Records Referencing External Communications
All internal NJCSC records that:
- Quote, summarize, or reference communications with Ocean County
- Reflect what was conveyed by Ocean County regarding:
- Staffing needs
- Promotional justifications
- Use of eligible lists
- Creation of positions
Yours sincerely,
Resident
Via Email Only - [1][OPRA #89847 email]
Re: OPRA Request C252113
Dear Resident:
The Civil Service Commission (“Commission”) OPRA Custodian received your
Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on April 15, 2026. This response is
provided on behalf of the Commission.
Your request for "Communications Involving Hari Sundar...that reference or
relate to: In the Matter of Patrick Geary, In the Matter of Charles
Dishon, Any reconsideration request(s) associated with those matters,"
"Internal NJCSC Communications, [r]eference the above matters,"
"Segregable Factual Material," "Draft and Revisions...Relating to the
Geary and Dishon matters..." records are denied pursuant to N.J.A.C.
4A:1-2.2(c)(1), which makes confidential “[a]ppeal files . . . including
written submissions of the parties and all other related documentation
used to make an administrative determination in these matters.” However,
you can find final administrative decisions of the Commission by visiting
our website at [2]https://www.nj.gov/csc/about/meetings/se...
When asked to clarify the following, "4. Internal Records Referencing
External Communications All internal NJCSC records that: Quote,
summarize, or reference communications with Ocean County Reflect what was
conveyed by Ocean County regarding: Staffing needs, Promotional
justifications, Use of eligible lists, Creation of positions," you added,
"With respect to Item #4, I am seeking specific, identifiable records
within the possession of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission that
memorialize or reflect communications received from Ocean County regarding
the promotional matters at issue.
To clarify, Item #4 is intended to capture:
4. Internal Records Referencing External Communications
All internal NJCSC records that:
- Quote, summarize, or reference communications with Ocean County
- Reflect what was conveyed by Ocean County regarding:
- Staffing needs
- Promotional justifications
- Use of eligible lists
- Creation of positions."
Your request for "Internal Records Referencing External Communications"
does not identify specific government records. When a request is “complex”
because it fails to specifically identify the documents sought, then that
request is not “encompassed” by OPRA. See New Jersey Builders Association
v. New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing, 390 N.J.Super. 166, 180 (App.
Div. 2007). A proper request under OPRA must identify with reasonable
clarity those documents that are desired. Furthermore, OPRA does not
encompass “[w]holesale requests for general information to be analyzed,
collated and compiled by the responding government entity.” MAG
Entertainment, 375 N.J. Super. at 549. Your request is further denied as
your request for communications is overbroad. Pursuant to N.J.S.A.
47:1A-5(g) requests for communications must “identify the specific job
title or accounts to be searched, [be limited] to a specific subject
matter; and [be] confined to a reasonable time period.” Your request fails
to identify accounts to be searched and is therefore overbroad and
improper.
This response does not waive any other applicable exemptions or defenses,
all of which are expressly reserved.
Your OPRA request is now hereby deemed closed.
Th OPRA Office
NJ Civil Service Commission