Newspaper alleged to have joined Carlinville in FOIA battle

CARLINVILLE (Heartland Newsfeed) — The ongoing war between Edgar County Watchdogs, John Kraft and the City of Carlinville has dragged on for the past five years, and according to a recent report on the watchdog website, the flames are being fanned even further by getting local media involved.

The recent report written by Kraft states that the Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat is being utilized as the mouthpiece for Carlinville mayor Deanna Demuzio (D) and cites an article that describes him as “targeting Carlinville” through his pursuit of information he believes is public record in a mission to keep the city held accountable.

“If asking for public records and demanding they be provided equates to ‘targeting’ the City of Carlinville, then I am guilty,” he wrote.

The five-year dispute comes from what Kraft says is Carlinville’s unwillingness to release information.

“Nowhere else have we had this amount of trouble obtaining what they are required to provide,” Kraft said. “The blame lies squarely on the back of the City Clerk and FOIA Officer, Mrs. Carla Brockmeier. It is her duty to comply with the law, regardless of what the Mayor or the city attorney instructs her to do.”

The city has said it has turned over all documents it was required to by law and met all of its obligations under FOIA.

Jake Leonard

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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