DFA/ABC DISPLAYS LACK OF ALACRITY IN RESPONSE TO FOIA REQUEST

LARRY WALTHER

A Freedom of Information Request was made to Larry Walther, the recently appointed Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, on March 27, 2013. The FOIA request sought information about the ABC's operations.

When no response nor notification of delayed response was received within the mandatory three day period that is specified in the Arkansas Freedom of information Act § 25-19-101 et seq., a follow up inquiry was sent on April 7, 2015.

The explaination from DFA was that the request was "overlooked". The next day one of the attorney's for ABC had his secretary send an email seeking a point of clarification regarding a requested item.

A quick response suggested that the attorney or secretary ask the ABC Asst. Director what "Community Outreach Programs" meant as it was a listed fuction of his job on the DFA/ABC webpage.

Readers of this blog will be glad to know that ABC advises that no funds whatsoever have been spent on Community Outreach in the last two years.