Texts/photos
Dear Plumsted Township,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
Photos from Mayor Cuozzos phone that was used for the elementary school tour he took and the pictures he took inside the school and with the kids.
Text messages between Mayor Cuozzo and the Business Administrator Greg Myhre.
Yours faithfully,
Phanny Topside-Winch
Please be advised that I will be out of the office starting Thursday,
February 8, 2024. I will return to the office on Monday March 11, 2024 at
9:00 am. In my absence, please contact Jennifer Witham at
[1][email address]. Thank you.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Plumsted Township request email]
Dear requestor:
This request as written is overly broad. Text messages are correspondence. A proper request for correspondence under OPRA requires:
(1) A specific sender and recipient
(2) A specific date range; and
(3) The subject matter of the correspondence.
Elcavage v. West Milford Township, GRC Complaint Nos. 2009-07 and 2009-08 (March, 2010).
Government records subject to disclosure under OPRA are defined by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 as:
[A]ny paper, written or printed book, document, drawing, map, plan, photograph, microfilm, data processed or image processed document, information stored or maintained electronically or by sound-recording or in a similar device, or any copy thereof, that has been made, maintained or kept on file in the course of his or its official business by any officer, commission, agency or authority of the State or of any political subdivision thereof…
In light of these established principles, please clarify your OPRA request, utilizing the above standards for any requests of written correspondence and photographs. The request must include the date range and subject matter of the requested correspondence as well as a date for the requested photographs.
Dear Susan Smith,
The way this is written makes no sense for requesting text Communications. You would download the conversation and it would then be reviewed by legal.
Dates would be irrelevant. However, you can use December 15, 2023 : March 6th of 2024 if that serves you.
School matters is the topic. The sender and reciever would be a chain of back and forth between the people initially designated.
And any additional photos of the school visit the mayor took.
Yours sincerely,
Phanny Topside-Winch