Levin CB2 Correspondence

Stephen Johnson filed this request with the Brooklyn Community Board 2 of New York City, NY.
Submitted May 20, 2016
Status
Completed

Communications

From: Stephen Johnson

Subject: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the New York State Freedom of Information Law (1977 N.Y. Laws ch. 933), I hereby request the following records:

All available records of correspondence – including but not limited to emails, text messages, iMessages, handwritten mail, and written memoranda – between staff at the Office of Councilmember Stephen T. Levin and Community Board 2 members from January 1, 2014 to May 12, 2016.

Levin’s Office: This includes, but is not limited to, the following individuals from Stephen Levin’s office: Stephen T. Levin, Jonathan Boucher, Julie Bero, Edward Paulino, Kevin Carroll, Lisa Bloodgood, Metin Sarci, Giomani Bravo-Lopez, Betty Lester, Rami Metal, and Casey Adams.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Stephen Johnson

From: Brooklyn CB2

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Johnson:

I am in receipt of your request below, pursuant to Article 6 of the New York State Public Officers Law, seeking “All available records of correspondence – including but not limited to emails, text messages, iMessages, handwritten mail, and written memoranda – between staff at the Office of Councilmember Stephen T. Levin and Community Board 2 members from January 1, 2014 to May 12, 2016.”

One member of staff is out of the office for all of next week, preventing me from fully initiating the document search until after their return. However, I am committed to responding to your request in timely fashion.
-------------------------------------------------------

District Manager Robert Perris

Brooklyn Community Board 2

350 Jay Street, 8th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201

718-596-5410

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to

From: Brooklyn CB2

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Johnson:

I have checked the calendar again and see that I am out of the office next week. In combination with the staff member who will be out of the office this week, I will not be able to respond to your request until the week of June 6, 2016. Thank you for your patience.
-------------------------------------------------------

District Manager Robert Perris

Brooklyn Community Board 2

350 Jay Street, 8th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201

718-596-5410

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to

From: Brooklyn CB2

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Johnson:

I sincerely apologize for the multiple responses. However, upon re-reading your request, I now realize that you are seeking “correspondence … between staff at the Office of Councilmember Stephen T. Levin and Community Board 2 members” (emphasis added).

As you may know, the City Charter establishes that up to 50 volunteer members may be appointed to each of the 59 community boards. In addition, during the 16+ month period of your request, there was likely to have been members who are no longer on Brooklyn Community Board 2. Further, some of those members were removed for poor attendance and other lack of participation. All of these factors––the number of members, their volunteer status, members who are no longer affiliated with the board––makes this particular FOIL request particularly time-intensive.

I will have a response to your request prior to September 2, 2016. I will contact you again if I am able to foresee an earlier response. I again thank you for your patience.
-------------------------------------------------------

District Manager Robert Perris

Brooklyn Community Board 2

350 Jay Street, 8th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201

718-596-5410

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to

From: Stephen Johnson

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Perris,

Thank you for the response. If it will expedite the request, I'm more than happy to limit the request to the leadership/elected officers, committee chairs and co-chairs and CB2's three staffers and exclude the rank-and-file membership.

Let me know if that would expedite the request.

Thanks again and enjoy the holiday weekend!

From: Brooklyn CB2

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Johnson:

Per your email of May 27, I have begun reaching out to the members of the Executive Committee of Brooklyn Community Board 2, which is made up of the elected officers and the chairs and vice chairs of the standing committees. I have already received responses from several members and the district office staff has begun searching its records as well. I have asked the members and staff to respond to me later this month and hope to comply with your request in late-June or early-July.
-------------------------------------------------------

District Manager Robert Perris

Brooklyn Community Board 2

350 Jay Street, 8th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201

718-596-5410

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to

From: Stephen Johnson

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Perris,

Thanks so much for the update and your diligence with the request. Have a great weekend.

From: Brooklyn CB2

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Johnson:

At the June 8, 2016 general meeting of Community Board 2 (CB2), I distributed a memo to 16 of the 22 current and former members of the CB2 Executive Committee regarding your FOIL request (see below) for the period, “January 1, 2014 to May 12, 2016.” I subsequently contacted five of the remaining six by Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. I telephone the last former member, for whom I did not have a current mailing address. In all cases, my memo to the current and former members asked then to respond to me by tonight’s Executive Committee meeting. I sent a reminder with the agenda for tonight’s meeting on Friday; June 24, 2016. The following is the response status as of this afternoon, a little less than four hours before tonight’s committee meeting:

Responded completely = 7, including the person I spoke with by telephone and two people contacted by Certified Mail

Accepted hand-delivery, have spoken with me but have not responded = 4

Accepted hand-delivery but have not responded = 8

Was not at the June 8 meeting, accepted the Certified Mail, spoke with me but has not responded = 1

Was not at the June 8 meeting, have not accepted the Certified Mail and have not responded = 2

Both members of my staff have searched their records and responded to me.

Several of the people who have spoken with me have expressed uncertainty about correspondence they have had with the council member’s office, as defined, in a capacity other than their membership on Community Board 2. For example, there have been members who have contacted the council member’s office with constituent complaints or as members or staff of other organizations. In your most recent email, you offered “further clarification” on your request and if you can address these concerns, it may expedite the response from some of the current and former members of the CB2 Executive Committee.

I am hopeful that I will receive additional responses at tonight’s meeting. I will continue to work to fulfill your request.
-------------------------------------------------------

District Manager Robert Perris

Brooklyn Community Board 2

350 Jay Street, 8th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201

718-596-5410

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to

From: Stephen Johnson

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Perris,

Thank you for your email.

To further clarify my response, I am only looking for correspondence between the CB2 official and the CM's office in relation to their work on CB2. No need to include constituent complaints or emails as members or staff of other organizations to complete my request.

Additionally, I wanted to know if you would be able to send the responses on a rolling basis - i.e. sending along the correspondence as it is made available.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you. - S

From: Brooklyn CB2

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Law Request: Levin CB2 Correspondence

Email

Mr. Johnson:

fyi, I reached out again today to the now six current and former members of the CB2 Executive Committee who have not yet responded to my outreach made in order to respond to your FOIL request. I plan to be in touch again with you in the near future.
-------------------------------------------------------

District Manager Robert Perris

Brooklyn Community Board 2

350 Jay Street, 8th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201

718-596-5410

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to

From: Brooklyn Community Board 2

Subject: None

Mail (Postmarked Dec. 25, 2020)

A copy of documents responsive to the request.

Files

pages

 Close