Freedom of Information
Commission
18-20 Trinity Street, Hartford, Ct.
06106
Email: foi@ct.gov
October 30, 2013
To Whom It May Concern,
I am filing an appeal for the Commission's help in obtaining documents requested under a Freedom of Information request sent on February 4, 2013 to the City of New Britain, copy follows.
The request was sent to the city's website "Contact Us" email address and we received an acknowledgment from the city of our FOI Request as seen in the subject line and header information below, but no documents where ever provided.
I believe sufficient time has past for the city of New Britain to produce the documents requested and now believe they is deliberately concealing certain facts from the public. We fear the city acted illegally and confiscated rate payer money from the Water Department Enterprise Account not intended by charter for use with city general obligation expenditures.
We respectfully request answers to our questions and request you compel the city to produce the documents requested.
My contact information is;
Bob DeCosmo
President CT Property Owners Alliance Inc.
161 North Main Street
Waterbury CT
1-800-369-6153
The City of New Britain
Mayor Tim O'Brien
27 West Main Street
New Britain CT 06051
860-826-3303
Copy of our initial request acknowledged by the New Britain Webmaster follows.
From: City of New Britain WebMaster
To: CTPOA@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Monday, February 4, 2013 2:03 PM
Subject: Copy of: Freedom of Information request
Copy of:
This is an enquiry e-mail via http://www.newbritainct.gov/ from:
Robert De Cosmo
February 4, 2013
Subject: Freedom of Information Request
To the City of New Britain:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
I request that copies of the following documents be provided to me:
Any and all documents (including resolutions, correspondence, memos, documents, electronic communications or financial recorders) regarding any transfers of funds from the New Britain Water Department Reserve Fund or any and all bank accounts affiliated with the New Britain Water department to the city's General Fund during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 fiscal years.
Please send us monthly bank statements along with any reconciliation documentations, including but limited to audits, and copies of accountant work product for the water dept and the general fund for 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Please also send us copies of all documents whether in paper form or held electronically of any wire transfers, and all checks written from any account affiliated with any city department, agency, which may have been payable by check, transfer or wire to another department, agency or account belonging to or affiliated with the city of New Britain.
I am requesting these documents as an officer of a trade organization which operates in the city of New Britain as this matter is of concern to myself and the members of my organization.
In order to minimize the environmental impact of this request I ask that all records be remitted to me electronically in either Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or PDF format and be sent to the following address: ctpoa@sbcglobal.net
If electronic format is not available please contact me with further details. I am willing to pay fees for this request up to a maximum of 100.00. If you estimate that the fees will exceed this limit, please inform me first.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Robert De Cosmo
President, Ct Property Owners Alliance, Inc.
161 North Main Street
Waterbury CT 06702
1-800-369-6153
October 30, 2013
To Whom It May Concern,
I am filing an appeal for the Commission's help in obtaining documents requested under a Freedom of Information request sent on February 4, 2013 to the City of New Britain, copy follows.
The request was sent to the city's website "Contact Us" email address and we received an acknowledgment from the city of our FOI Request as seen in the subject line and header information below, but no documents where ever provided.
I believe sufficient time has past for the city of New Britain to produce the documents requested and now believe they is deliberately concealing certain facts from the public. We fear the city acted illegally and confiscated rate payer money from the Water Department Enterprise Account not intended by charter for use with city general obligation expenditures.
We respectfully request answers to our questions and request you compel the city to produce the documents requested.
My contact information is;
Bob DeCosmo
President CT Property Owners Alliance Inc.
161 North Main Street
Waterbury CT
1-800-369-6153
The City of New Britain
Mayor Tim O'Brien
27 West Main Street
New Britain CT 06051
860-826-3303
Copy of our initial request acknowledged by the New Britain Webmaster follows.
From: City of New Britain WebMaster
To: CTPOA@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Monday, February 4, 2013 2:03 PM
Subject: Copy of: Freedom of Information request
Copy of:
This is an enquiry e-mail via http://www.newbritainct.gov/ from:
Robert De Cosmo
February 4, 2013
Subject: Freedom of Information Request
To the City of New Britain:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
I request that copies of the following documents be provided to me:
Any and all documents (including resolutions, correspondence, memos, documents, electronic communications or financial recorders) regarding any transfers of funds from the New Britain Water Department Reserve Fund or any and all bank accounts affiliated with the New Britain Water department to the city's General Fund during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 fiscal years.
Please send us monthly bank statements along with any reconciliation documentations, including but limited to audits, and copies of accountant work product for the water dept and the general fund for 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Please also send us copies of all documents whether in paper form or held electronically of any wire transfers, and all checks written from any account affiliated with any city department, agency, which may have been payable by check, transfer or wire to another department, agency or account belonging to or affiliated with the city of New Britain.
I am requesting these documents as an officer of a trade organization which operates in the city of New Britain as this matter is of concern to myself and the members of my organization.
In order to minimize the environmental impact of this request I ask that all records be remitted to me electronically in either Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or PDF format and be sent to the following address: ctpoa@sbcglobal.net
If electronic format is not available please contact me with further details. I am willing to pay fees for this request up to a maximum of 100.00. If you estimate that the fees will exceed this limit, please inform me first.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Robert De Cosmo
President, Ct Property Owners Alliance, Inc.
161 North Main Street
Waterbury CT 06702
1-800-369-6153
4 comments:
I'd like to see this brought to light. But what Bob doesn't realize is an independent outside counsel opined this was legal - if done in a certain way. Oddly, when done 2 years prior by the Stewart administration there was no such opinion sought. I think we're going to be embrassed here because if the city complies with this request what they'll find is outside attorneys saying it is legal to transfer the money if done in a certain way but it would not be legal to do what stewart did. But he would have no way of knowing that because he never sought an opinion prior to doing it. O'Brien did.
You seem to know a lot about this Mr. Sherwood! Did you plan it?
I think commenter #1 is soon going to find out that opinions are like "A-holes," everyone has one. I think I will wait for the judge's opinion since that is the only one that really matters.
An honest judge would put Sherwood and O'Brien behind bars.
DeFronzo, Gerrantana and Lopes too.
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