Sunshine Week is obviously important to Rochester for All.
Over the last five months, we’ve filed about 200 Freedom of Information Law requests, including 156 Freedom of Information requests with the City of Rochester.
Our work using FOIL has led to the following:
Exposure of potentially criminal conduct:
– City Hall has been producing materials funded by Mayor Lovely Warren’s political committees.
– Warren’s political action committee functioned as a second, illegal campaign fund.
– Deputy Mayor Cedric Alexander put in for time he did not work. When caught, he changed the questionable hours to vacation time he had not earned.
Exposure of unethical conduct:
– The city has been awarding large grants to businesses, including major donors to the mayor, without any public scrutiny.
Making information public:
- The city checkbook registry is posted on our website.
- We created an interactive map of previously secret business grants.
Holding government accountable:
- The Rochester Housing Authority has spent money on questionable retreats and an illegal campaign donation.
- We are preparing to sue the Rochester Housing Authority for withholding records pertaining to its nonprofit subsidiary.
- The mayor knew about previous sexual harassment allegations against Alexander before his appointment.
We’re not going to stop. We have exciting plans for the rest of the year. We may even create a publication to reach a wider audience.
Our work needs support. That’s why Rochester for All is now a 501c4 organization. We have expenses, including open records fees, legal fees and online infrastructure. We hope to one day have office space and staff.
If you like what we’re doing, consider a contribution of any amount. We’ve done so much with so little – and in a short period of time! Just imagine what we can do together in the future.