Joseph F. Hennessey v. Worcester, City of - Law Department (SPR 20201716)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records October 1, 2020 SPR20/1716 Janice Thompson City of Worcester Law Department City of Worcester 455 Main Street, Room 303 Worcester, MA 01608 Dear Ms. Thompson: I have received the petition of Attorney Joseph Hennessey appealing the response of the City of Worcester (City) to his request for public records. G. L. c. 66, § 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Specifically, on June 19, 2020, Attorney Hennessey requested five categories of records pertaining to 12 named officers, including disciplinary records. The City responded on September 14, 2020, providing responsive records, as well as withholding records pursuant to Exemption (c). Unsatisfied with the City’s response, Attorney Hennessey petitioned this office, and SPR20/1716 was opened as a result. On September 30, 2020, the City sent an email to this office indicating “[t]he City will be providing an additional written response to Mr. Hennessey regarding his request and the City’s response to provide clarification regarding issues set forth in his appeal.” Accordingly, said response must be made in a manner consistent with the Public Records Law and its Access Regulations within 10 business days. It is preferable to send an electronic copy of this response to this office at pre@sec.state.ma.us. Attorney Hennessey may appeal the substantive nature of the City's response within ninety days. See 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Sincerely, Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: Joseph Hennessey, Esq. One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us