Mike Carpenter Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

10 Dec, 2015

New Memphis mayor to change city’s public records process, move it out of legal

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T18:55:58-05:00December 10, 2015|Categories: requests|Tags: Jim Strickland, Memphis, Mike Carpenter, public records request|0 Comments

New Memphis mayor Jim Strickland plans to implement at least one of the recommendations from a report earlier this year that suggested an overhaul of how the city handles public records request. In "Strickland says changes will improve communication," Commercial Appeal politics and policy reporter Ryan Poe writes: Among his first acts as Memphis mayor, Jim Strickland plans to shake up the city's public records process, which a report issued in May said was "inefficient" and at times had perhaps inadvertently violated the law. Doug McGowen (from left), Bruce McMullen, Ursula Madden, Jim Strickland, Brian Collins, Toney Armstrong As he announced several executive-level appointments Monday, Strickland he would make [...]

5 May, 2015

Memphis report charts new approach to handling public records requests

By Deborah Fisher|2015-06-19T16:53:45-05:00May 5, 2015|Categories: Public Records, requests|Tags: A C Wharton Jr., fees for public records, Memphis, Mike Carpenter, open data, public records request, public records training, Sunlight Foundation, The Commercial Appeal|0 Comments

A top-to-bottom review presented to the mayor of Memphis last week charts a new approach to handling public records requests in Tennessee and takes direct aim at improving the underlying culture of openness. Among the 23 recommendations, it suggests a “fresh start” by re-assigning current public records custodians “to prevent adoption of incorrect methods or bad habits that have formed as part of the culture of the division or the department in which they work.” It talks about a “customer-friendly attitude,” suggests appointing a public records ombudsman to resolve disputes, and recommends a training program that would include a mix of city officials, media representatives and citizens “so each can gain [...]

4 May, 2015

Memphis public records report lists deficiencies, recommends 23 changes

By Deborah Fisher|2015-05-04T15:18:45-05:00May 4, 2015|Categories: Public Records|Tags: AC Wharton Jr., Memphis, Mike Carpenter|0 Comments

In late March, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, Jr. requested Mike Carpenter, a former county commissioner and now executive director of the Plough Foundation, to conduct of review of how the city responds to public records requests and make recommendations on improvements. The report, Review of Public Records and Transparency in City Government, was delivered to the mayor late last week. Carpenter interviewed numerous sources to understand the processes and the tensions, including city and county employees, local reporters and editors, and experts on open government, including TCOG and the national group, The Sunlight Foundation. Wharton asked for a "comprehensive review" to see if the city was "not just meeting the letter [...]