Oxford, Maryland is a small town of under 600 people. Since February of 2023 and the sudden retirement of the Police Chief Patrick Maxwell, the citizens have uncovered a great deal of hidden information, regarding both financial and governmental actions that either not disclosed to the public or hidden to protect government officials, town employees, or a small circle of favored citizens.
Naturally, much of this information was only released after public information act requests by local residents. The town and its administration closed the ranks and forced taxpayers to go to this extent to get answers. Then, they tried to suppress the citizens from filing PIA’s by charging ridiculous fees to provide basic facts about how Oxford did public business. Here are two stories from the Easton Gazette regarding this issue:
Town Of Oxford Weaponizes PIA Request Fees – Easton Gazette
Emotions Run High At Oxford Meeting; Town Manager Announces Her Retirement – Easton Gazette
In some cases, residents who filed PIA requests were quoted prices as high as $7500 to see financial documents for the town.
The Public Information Act (known as the Freedom of Information Act federally) was created for the following:
The Public Information Act (PIA) is a legal framework that allows citizens to inspect or copy government records. Here are the key points about the PIA:
- Purpose: The PIA provides a mechanism for citizens to access information maintained by governmental bodies. It ensures transparency and accountability by allowing people to obtain a more complete understanding of how their government works12.
- Access to Records: Under the PIA, citizens have the right to request access to government records. Governmental bodies are generally required to release information in response to such requests.
- Exceptions: However, there are specific instances where governmental bodies may withhold certain records from the public. These exceptions are outlined in the PIA.
- Review Process: If a governmental body decides to withhold information, both the request and the information must be reviewed by the Open Records Division (ORD). The ORD determines whether the information can be withheld or must be released.
- Requestor Rights: As a requestor, you have the right to be treated equally, receive prompt responses, and seek assistance from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) if the governmental body fails to comply with the PIA.
- Prompt Release: Governmental bodies must produce public information promptly. If there’s a delay, they must notify you. If information is withheld, the OAG may be involved in the process.
Above information is from the PIA Manual (marylandattorneygeneral.gov)
This act is to assure that not only the rich, powerful, politically favored citizens can get public information, but ALL citizens can access it.
Apparently, the Town of Oxford doesn’t agree with that philosophy. Many people in town who wanted to file were initially stymied by the outrageous costs during a floundering economy.
The Citizens of Oxford who have become engaged in rooting out information regarding town affairs have decided to take this into their own hands by doing something that has never been done before. They are starting a GO FUND ME site to fund PIA requests. Here is the site:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-oxford-pia-fee-assistance-fund
In less than one day, the fund has raised approximately $3300.00. This is on the heels of this discovery last week from a PIA:
Imagine having to fundraise to exercise the rights one has as a citizen.
Jan Greenhawk, Author
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
This article was originally featured on the Easton Gazette.
