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Patrick Higgins v. Swansea, Town of - Advisory & Finance Committee (SPR 20160567)
Massachusetts Public Records Appeal · Petitioner won — agency ordered to respond · Filed 08-01-2016
ClosedAppealPetitioner Won
SPR 20160567 is a Massachusetts Public Records Law appeal filed by Patrick Higgins concerning records held by Swansea, Town of - Advisory & Finance Committee, opened 08-01-2016. Type: Appeal. Status: Closed. Supervisor of Public Records determination: Petitioner won — agency ordered to respond.
Case Details
- Case Number
- 20160567
- Case Type
- Appeal
- Case Subtype
- Initial
- Status
- Closed
- Requester
- Patrick Higgins
- Date Opened
- 08-01-2016
- Date Closed
- 08-11-2016
PDF Document
Extracted Text (searchable & copyable)
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Shawn A. Williams Supervisor ofR ecords August 11, 2016 SPR16/567; SPR16/568 Ms. Cynthia Martins Town of Swansea 81 Main Street Swansea, MA 02777 Dear Ms. Martins: I have received the petition of Patrick Higgins appealing the nonresponse of the Town of Swansea (Town) to a request for public records. G. L. c. 66 § 1O (b ); see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(2). Specifically, Mr. Higgins requested a number of records pertaining to emails belonging to Town employees from "2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 (and) minutes of the Board of Health meetings where they voted to issue or renew any licenses for any businesses in the Town of Swansea, including, but not limited to restaurant licenses, frozen desert licenses, etc." Having received no response, Mr. Higgins petitioned this office. Under the Public Records Law and the Access Regulations (Regulations) all requests for public records must be met with a response within ten (10) days of the request. G. L. c. 66, § 10(b); 950 C.M.R. 32.05. The response may be an offer to provide records, a fee estimate for provision of the records, or a denial. All records custodians must comply with both the Public Records Law and the Regulations with respect to the timeliness of response. Despite being provided with an acknowledgement letter for the opening of this appeal dated August 01, 2016 and a copy of the file, the Town has failed to respond to the request. Accordingly, the Town is hereby ordered to review the request made by Mr. Higgins and provide a written response to Mr. Higgins, made in accordance with the Public Records Law, its Access Regulations and this order. Mr. Haddadin may appeal the substa tive nature of the Office's response within ninety (90) days. See 950 C.M.R. 32.08(2). cc: Mr. Patrick Higgins OneAshburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 · (617) 727-2832 ·Fax (617) 727-5914 www.sec.state.ma. us/pre