1,544,944 @ 8:58 pm Thursday 2-20-2020
44 @ 8:58 - 118 minutes
Keeper of the Records
44 @ 8:58 - 118 minutes
Keeper of the Records
Medford City Hall
85 George P. Hassett Drive
Medford, MA 02155
Hello Attorney Scanlon,
Thank you for responding to #1 of 2 questions in my request regarding Medford Community Media
I am appealing this request as noted above and at the conclusion of this correspondence.
The documents that I seek are not the documents that you provided or, if those are the documents, they are lacking in information and fail to give the public the information that is of great public interest.
The question was specific in my mind. I will now clarify it so that there is absolutely no doubt of the documents that I seek:
Does the city-owned access TV station have accurate notes of which shows are played when and can the public have those specific documents with detailed information on shows that are cablecast with the names of each show and the air dates of each show; documents that should be provided by the station manager who is paid approx $70,000.00 a year
This is an official appeal to get the accurate records that I am seeking. That is, if they exist.
If they do not exist the issuing authority, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, needs to take immediate action and replace a deficient station manager.
Joe Viglione's original request from the 2-7-2020 12:27 pm Public Records Request on the city-owned P/E/G station:
1)I demand the document that contains Mr. Patrick Gordon's Station Log. All honest and responsible station managers keep a log of programming. The log should be for the dates of re-runs of the city council meetings with evidence that the show actually aired.
The City Council page does not have the dates and times of replays available: City Council
Joe Viglione's response to the answer for documents regarding programming documentation:
a)I was quite specific requesting "the dates and times of replays available: City Council Does a document exist where Patrick Gordon or another individual kept a specific log of the 1/28/2020 city council meeting replay dates?
b)I specifically noted the date of the airing, which residents claim did not air, of the January 28, 2020 city council meeting.
c)for $70,000.00 a year the residents need to see more than a regurgitation of government programming disguised as Public access.
The P/E/G - even when operated by a 501c3 (which, obviously, is not the case under Medford Community Media, a city-owned access station) has an obligation to the city council to prove that programming generated is aired at a specific time that serves the community.
Mayor Lungo-Koehn appeared on council meetings that former Mayor Michael J. McGlynn failed to properly administer. Eventually the station offered only color bars and no programming, the fees from the cable ratepayers not properly accounted for.
Mr. Gordon has not provided the documents that I am looking for; just as Medford Community Cablevision, Inc. bragged about "sloppy bookkeeping" to the city council. A decade later these documents prove more "sloppy bookkeeping" and that is unacceptable.
d)I realize that you are not required to create documents when asked via public records request for a response - so the pertinent question is:
Does the city-owned access TV station have accurate notes of which shows are played when and can the public have those specific documents with detailed information provided by the station manager who is paid approx $70,000.00 a year
This has always been the problem with access television in Medford. One would have hoped that the previous administration under Muccini-Burke would have hired a competent individual who cares about the job and takes complete notes for the perusal of the public when the public requires it. Members of the public are requiring it now.
What the public interest demands - and people have come to me SPECIFICALLY for the information of the failure to air the January 28, 2020 city council meeting, or if it was aired at a different time, because as our mayor knows, previous administrations were not forthright with the council meetings and their re-broadcasts.
Complaints noting that the 1/28/2020 council meeting was NOT re-played in the time that the citizens are used to. Thus, the numbers provided in the 18 pages you sent over fail to answer the questions the public is asking of me.
And why is the public asking a responsible man for the information rather than the irresponsible and deficient station manager?
That's a rhetorical question.
QUESTION #2 The Keeper of Records gives January 29,2020 as the date that the 1/28/2020 council meeting was "uploaded."
That was not the information requested - the document I seek is the AIRDATE of the 1/28/2020 council meeting, which should be logged by any ethical, responsible, intelligent station manager. The question isn't if the show was uploaded, we can see that on the very messy video upload page which is haphazard and lacks clarity.
The document I seek is the actual AIRING log of the 1/28/2020 council meeting when it is required to run as a "replay."
Thank you, Attorney Scanlon. My frustration with access television in Medford spans close to two decades now.
We have the Rumley Report, the Judge Jackson Thompson report, the report McGlynn asked me to write which started better documentation, yet here it is February 20, 2020 and we are still in the dark ages that the McGlynn administration left us in.
McGlynn was a disaster as "issuing authority."
This request is to help the citizens that approached me. It seems they do not want to approach Mr. Gordon, and that is quite telling, isn't it?
If Mr. Gordon has not kept accurate records, let me know and we can then present the evidence to the mayor and kindly request that she hire local people who are passionate about the medium.
Thank you very much.
The appeal has been sent to the office of the Secretary of State, Public Records Division. See above.
Respectfully,
P.O. Box 2392
Woburn MA 01888
tel 617 899 5926
http://joeviglione.com
----- Forwarded Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2020, 04:23:34 PM EST
Subject: Response to Records Request
Dear Mr. Viglione,
Attached please find my response to your records request.
Very truly yours,
Kimberly M. Scanlon
Acting City Solicitor
Records Access Officer
City of Medford
Original request sent on or about Friday, February 7, 2020 12:27 pm
__________________________________________
Fri, Feb 7 at 12:27 PM
Medford High School
489 Winthrop St.,
Medford, MA 02155
info@medford-ma.gov
781-987-2307
City Hall
85 Geo P Hassett Drive
Medford MA 02155
Re: Massachusetts Public Records Request
Dear Keeper of the Records,
It has come to my attention that the replay of the Medford City Council meeting of January 28, 2020 was not aired. This has been a troublesome occurrence over the years due to poor station management at Medford Community Cablevision, Inc. and under Ben Brown when the station became city-owned and, again, a private "public" access station under former solicitor Mark Rumley.
This is a request under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (M. G. L. Chapter 66, Section 10). I am requesting that I be provided a copy of the following records:
1)I demand the document that contains Mr. Patrick Gordon's Station Log. All honest and responsible station managers keep a log of programming. The log should be for the dates of re-runs of the city council meetings with evidence that the show actually aired.
The City Council page does not have the dates and times of replays available: City Council
489 Winthrop St.,
Medford, MA 02155
info@medford-ma.gov
781-987-2307
City Hall
85 Geo P Hassett Drive
Medford MA 02155
Re: Massachusetts Public Records Request
Dear Keeper of the Records,
It has come to my attention that the replay of the Medford City Council meeting of January 28, 2020 was not aired. This has been a troublesome occurrence over the years due to poor station management at Medford Community Cablevision, Inc. and under Ben Brown when the station became city-owned and, again, a private "public" access station under former solicitor Mark Rumley.
This is a request under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (M. G. L. Chapter 66, Section 10). I am requesting that I be provided a copy of the following records:
1)I demand the document that contains Mr. Patrick Gordon's Station Log. All honest and responsible station managers keep a log of programming. The log should be for the dates of re-runs of the city council meetings with evidence that the show actually aired.
The City Council page does not have the dates and times of replays available: City Council
2)I demand the document containing the time that the city council meeting is uploaded to the website.
Mr. Gordon's been deficient in posting the videos in a timely manner - the page is pure chaos with citizens who pay a huge
franchise feel going through a big mess of shows, including those of former MCC-TV3 members which have nothing to do with
how the city operates. That Mr. Gordon is allowed to post such a sloppy, incoherent page is the fault of former mayor
Stephanie Muccini-Burke. Mayor Lungo-Koehn should have a new cable advisory committee and rein in Gordon's lack of
effort and lazy way of doing the job he is required to do, a key job in this city
I recognize that you may charge reasonable costs for copies, as well as for personnel time needed to comply with this request, however, as a journalist with more page views per hour than Mr. Gordon can obtain in weeks, the public interest being great, I respectfully request that you waive the fee.
The Public Records Law requires you to provide me with a written response within 10 business days. If you cannot comply with my request, you are statutorily required to provide an explanation in writing.
Kindly respond by e mail
Sincerely,
Joe Viglione
The Public Records Law requires you to provide me with a written response within 10 business days. If you cannot comply with my request, you are statutorily required to provide an explanation in writing.
Kindly respond by e mail
Sincerely,
Joe Viglione
