Muckrock editorial intern Anna Geary-Meyer filed a public records request with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's office in December 2014 seeking information about Boston's 2024 Olympic bid. Over one month later, she hasn't received a substantive response.
Her December 2014 request sought:
1) All emails between Mayor Walsh's office and the Boston 2024 Organizing Committee.
2) Any studies, reports, proposals or presentation materials received by or generated by the Mayor's Office regarding the 2024 Olympics.
The Mayor has promised the public a transparent, democratic process as Boston seeks the Olympics in 2024. But Walsh's office's delay in responding to a request pertaining to the 2024 bid is not confidence inspiring.
Massachusetts public records law is in serious need of an upgrade. The statute is so weak that Sunlight Foundation awarded the state an "F" in its 2013 Transparency Report Card.
It's not ok for the Mayor's office to take so long responding to a public records request pertaining to an issue of substantial public concern, like the Olympics. But it's not all Mayor Walsh's fault. The legislature needs to act to modernize our public records law. Otherwise stalling and refusal to comply with lawful public records requests will remain the name of the game for too many public offices in our state.