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^{By Craig Jackson – Published March 7, 2024}

BlackwaterReports continues to fight for the release of public records in Currituck. The good news, if there is any, is that county staff are pretty efficient at answering requests, even the ones they deny. I want to update our readers on some of our requests.

Our March 3, 2024, request for records related to the InsightGlobal debacle for the months of November and December 2024 was answered by county staff that all records have already been released. We are in possession of everything the county has released. When Thom Roddy, Director and Founder at BlackwaterReports, met in person with Commissioner Selina Jarvis at a public location in Grandy, NC., on February 13, 2024, after showing Jarvis a timeline based on factual events surrounding the InsightGlobal debacle, Jarvis indicated that emails from November and December were missing. BlackwaterReports routinely requests records that sources indicate exist. We seldom do so blindly.

On February 23, 2024, BlackwaterReports submitted a request for “Minutes from the January 16, 2024, closed session. Redaction of the several mentions of Ike McRee’s contract are accepted. The personnel records exemption does not protect discussions about Paul Beaumont, an elected official.” The county has repeatedly denied this request. The problem is they are using an exemption that does not apply to an elected official as their basis. The county insists that releasing the minutes would frustrate the purpose of the closed session. It’s literally impossible to frustrate the purpose at this point. Details related to the censure of Commissioner Paul Beaumont have been made public, as have the details surrounding the commissioners’ decision not to renew County Manager Ike McRee’s contract. Given that McRee has resigned and will retire at the end of March, decisions surrounding his contract are moot.

At this point, the only thing that is frustrating is the right to the disclosure of public records. So we asked the experts about the implications of public employees in North Carolina frustrating the release of public records:

“Regarding your question about holding public employees responsible for blocking the release of documents, if a public employee responsible for processing public records requests in North Carolina deliberately obstructs or denies access to public records in violation of the law, they can indeed be held responsible under the law. North Carolina, like many other states, has public records laws designed to ensure transparency and accountability in government by granting citizens the right to access government documents and records.

If a public employee unlawfully blocks the release of public records, they may face legal consequences, including civil penalties and disciplinary action. Additionally, individuals or organizations seeking access to public records have the right to pursue legal remedies, such as filing a lawsuit to compel the release of the records and seeking damages for any harm caused by the unlawful denial of access.

It’s crucial for public employees responsible for handling public records requests to understand and adhere to the requirements of the law, ensuring that government transparency is upheld and the public’s right to access information is respected. Any intentional obstruction of this process can have serious legal consequences, potentially leading to personal liability for the public employee involved.”