Stanhope House
Dear Stanhope Borough,
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-6(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:
Email correspondence between all Council, Mayor, Staff members and professionals regarding Stanhope House and or Klein between January 01, 2023-present
Meeting minutes, including executive session from Borough Council Meetings, Land Use Board Meetings and Zoning Board Meetings pertaining to discussions of "The Stanhope House" from January 01, 2023-present
Records from January 01, 2023 - present for Furnace Street redevelopment and "Areas in need of redevelopment"
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,
Don Weber
Good Morning Mr. Weber,
I am in receipt of your OPRA request dated October 14, 2025.
“An OPRA request must identify the documents sought with specificity and
particularity,” Burke v. Brandes, 429 N.J. Super. 169, 175 (App. Div.
2012). A general request for documents is invalid under OPRA if such
documents are not “reasonably described with such identifying information”
sufficient to identify specific government records. Id. At 176-77.
Moreover, “OPRA does not require record custodians to conduct research
among its records for a requestor and correlate data from various
government records in the custodian’s possession.” MAG Entertainment, LLC
v. Div. of ABC, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 546-47 (App. Div. 2005).
Paragraph 1 of your OPRA request states "Council, Mayor, Staff members and
professionals." A request for records from Staff members and professionals
is too broad. Would you please clarify the specific staff members and
professionals you are seeking records from. The request for Council and
Mayor is specific and your OPRA request has been forwarded to them. I will
forward any responsive records when I receive them.
Paragraph 2 of your OPRA requests seeks minutes of the Mayor and Council
and the Land Use Board. I direct you to the Borough's website:
[1]www.stanhopenj.gov which contains all Mayor and Council and Land Use
Board minutes for the timeframe you are requesting. OPRA does not require
the custodian to research records, including minutes, to determine when
certain matters are discussed.
Paragraph 3 of your OPRA requests "Records." This request is overly broad
and denied. Please clarify the specific records you are seeking.
Thank you,
Ellen Horak, RMC
Municipal Clerk
973-347-0159 ext. 16
[2][Stanhope Borough request email]
Good Afternoon Mr. Weber,
Attached hereto are records responsive to your OPRA request dated October
14, 2025 pertaining to your request for certain email correspondence from
the Mayor and Council.
I direct you to my email to you dated October 16, 2025 which responds to
the other portions of your OPRA request.
[1][IMG][2] OPRA - Weber.pdf
Ellen Horak, RMC
Municipal Clerk
973-347-0159 ext. 16
[3][Stanhope Borough request email]
Dear Ellen Horak,
I requested emails from staff, mayor, council and professionals that pertain to "stanhope house". I think that is clear enough.
Yours sincerely,
Don Weber