OPINION

MIKE MASTERSON: What FOIA?

What lies beneath Joe Wilkin's problem in complying with state's Freedom of Information Act?

A reporter for this newspaper asked the coroner for Desha County for records of all child deaths between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2017. Sounds easy enough to me.

But rather than keep things simple (and legal), Wilkin decided to deny the request, the first written request of which was made via email Sept. 26 and repeated in ensuing weeks in 10 phone calls and a letter.

Wilkin appeared dead-set against compiling the requested records, initially telling the reporter that doing so would cost the newspaper thousands of dollars because Wilkin would have to hire help to do the job. Reminded that under law he could only charge for the materials involved in responding to the request, Wilkin then flatly refused to cooperate, a news account reported.

He was quoted saying: "If you want that damn information, you're going to have to get it yourself. I'm not going to do it. I don't care what the prosecutor or anybody says." He also said since he'd lost his bid for re-election, he would not be a public servant for much longer, so the paper might as well "leave me alone."

The cursing coroner suggested the reporter check death certificates at the Arkansas Department of Health. The only problem is, unlike coroner's reports, those documents are not public records.

Tenth Judicial District Deputy Prosecutor Crews Puryear decided not to leave Wilkin alone. He's issued a subpoena for the recalcitrant coroner to gather up all his reports for the period in question (not just the children's) and bring them with him to court in Dumas on Friday.

I suppose we all may learn at that time whether Wilkin actually does care what the prosecutor has to say about all this "damn information."

I'm no consultant when it comes to dealing with media requests, but I can tell you the best and simplest way for elected public figures to respond to a legitimate FOIA request is just as the law says they must.

About the election

With this latest election behind us (well, most states anyway) I have a question that initially was tossed around the coffee group table last week. If Supreme Court justices in each state are supposed to be politically neutral, weighing each case solely on its merits and constitutionality, why would any group from another state shovel hundreds of thousands, even more than a million dollars in so-called dark money, into an Arkansas Supreme Court race?

And who exactly are these unnamed people with bucks to burn? If the high court system is not corrupt, what exactly are they trying to influence? Hairstyles? Is this money and support from elsewhere intended to buy influence with a justice who hears Arkansas cases on ultimate appeal? Sure looks that way to me and a lot of others.

On the matter of elections, I'm hoping someone much wiser than me when it comes to vote-counting can explain how some election officials in each state and their staffs basically have but two jobs on election day, yet have so much difficulty. First, they accept the votes. Then they tabulate and submit the votes as soon as possible. The math sure seems simple.

The process, while admittedly hectic, seems elementary enough on its face. Election is finished. Doors close, tabulations run and submitted.

So how do thousands of votes they have accepted become "lost" or misplaced" or uncounted until much later? The majority of polling sites don't seem to have a problem, just certain ones. (Florida is becoming beyond notorious for this kind of nonsense.)

Finding suspicious ballots tucked inside closets and elsewhere days after an election is beyond unacceptable. If there is cheating and stealing going on, those involved need stiff prison terms. Corruption of that nature strikes at the very heart of our democratic republic.

Child pornography

Anyone else catch the story about Harold Moody Jr., former chairman of the Pulaski County Democratic Party and former communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, being indicted by a federal grand jury for six counts involving child pornography?

It's not the kind of story we see regularly (about public figures anyway) and sadly enough goes to show how careful parents must be with their kids today.

Moody had left the Arkansas Democratic Party in February 2017 to join Pulaski County Youth Services primarily as a fundraiser. That's where he was working when arrested and fired from that position, which was described as purely administrative and not involved with children.

Only five months into the job, Moody's supervisor stuck a note in his personnel file saying "exceptionally well-qualified."

If Moody is convicted, it will provide further evidence of how pervasive this kind of alleged activity has become and hopefully raise awareness that a person's professional qualifications or political connections reveal but a small part of who's living beneath the facade.

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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist. Email him at [email protected].

Editorial on 11/13/2018

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