On February 2, 2014, New York City mayor was participating in the yearly Groundhog Day event at the Staten Island Zoo when the morning’s festivities took a tragic turn. The groundhog, a female “Chuck” stand-in by the name of Charlotte, fell from Bill de Blasio’s hands and tumbled to the ground. Seven days later, on February 9th, Charlotte was found dead in her enclosure from “acute internal injuries,” injuries the zoo claimed had nothing to do with Charlotte’s fall. Recently released emails between New York City reporters and the Mayor’s press team acquired through a FOIL request are rife with shocking allegations that now call into question everything we know about the incident (not really).

Bill de Blasio, freshly elected mayor of New York City, has been a vocal critic of New York Police Department’s dismal transparency record. As he takes the City Hall reins, he has the power to evolve from critic to transparency catalyst.