Alfredo Companioni v. Committee for Public Counsel Services (SPR 20202479)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records December 29, 2020 SPR20/2479; SPR20/2480 Lisa M. Hewitt, Esq. Committee for Public Counsel Services One Congress Street, Suite 102 Boston, MA 02114 Dear Attorney Hewitt: I have received the petitions of Alfredo Companioni, appealing the nonresponse of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (Committee) to a request for public records. G. L. c. 66, § 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Specifically, Mr. Companioni, requested “1- Billing of Records of Chauncey B. Wood. 2- The Certification of Chauncey B. Wood to take post- conviction assignment. 3- The name of the appellate mentor that worked with Mr. Wood while he was in training. 4- The letter that Mr. Wood sent to the Director of Criminal Appeal, where he explained the experience, training and education he has for post-conviction assignment.” Claiming to not yet have received a response, Mr. Companioni petitioned this office and these appeals, SPR20/2479 and SPR20/2480, were opened as a result. Under the Public Records Law and the Access Regulations (Regulations) all requests for public records must be met with a response within 10 business days of receipt of the request. G. L. c. 66, § l0(a)-(b). The response may contain, among other things, an offer to provide records, a fee estimate for provision of the records, or a denial. G. L. c. 66, § 10(b). All records custodians must comply with both the Public Records Law and the Regulations with respect to the timeliness of response. Conclusion Despite being notified of the opening of these appeals and a communication from a member of the Public Records Division staff, no response has been provided. Accordingly, the Committee is ordered to provide Mr. Companioni with a response to the requests, provided in a manner consistent with this order, the Public Records Law and its Regulations within 10 business days. A copy of any such response must be provided to this office. It is preferable to send an electronic copy of this response to this office at pre@sec.state.ma.us. 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

Lisa M. Hewitt SPR20/2479; SPR20/2480 Page 2 December 29, 2020 Sincerely, Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: Alfredo Companioni