When can a local government employee delete an e-mail that’s lawfully a public record? Answer: whenever he or she pleases.
That’s the gist of a story in The Charlotte Observer this morning. One fascinating anecdote:
“Typically once I read an e-mail, I have the information and I delete it,” said Charlotte City Council member Michael Barnes. “It’s just not practical for me to catalog each and every e-mail that I get. When I’m asked to give them, if I have them, I do. I don’t have anything to hide.”
Do these public officials need a tutorial in filing e-mail? It’s not that hard. Even more, modern e-mail applications let you search by keyword, so it shouldn’t be that hard to turn up e-mails requested for a given subject.
Personally, I keep a running e-mail file of top issues, and then a larger folder for all other e-mail. If a lowly reporter can do it, so can a public servant.
Unless, of course, they really do have something to hide.
