Tom,
 
Will you please have Chrystal's expert, Mr. Mason, explain the conflicting data of his definition of "news media" and the State of Washington's definition? RCW 5.68.010 (5)(a) clearly indicates that The Dispatch, The Eatonville News (ENN) and even the Eatonville Truth meet the State's definition.
 
(5) The term "news media" means:

     (a) Any newspaper, magazine or other periodical, book publisher, news agency, wire service, radio or television station or network, cable or satellite station or network, or audio or audiovisual production company, or any entity that is in the regular business of news gathering and disseminating news or information to the public by any means, including, but not limited to, print, broadcast, photographic, mechanical, internet, or electronic distribution;


What is the purpose of this line of questioning you have for Mr. Mason? Why is Chrystal assigned this task and not Gary Armstrong?
 
If you think for one moment that I will allow a member of this town's government to evade the Open Public Meeting Act (OPMA) or the intent of depriving citizens from knowing what their employees or officials are doing, then you are sadly mistaken. I will personally request from the town any and all documents that a citizen desires to look at or have. I will use the FOI forms if you deem we need to go this route. This IS well within my ELECTED duty. Additionally, I urge you to start getting some serious legal opinions that actually have RCW references. I would think that you would be embarrassed to have not taken the lead you stated you would at the beginning of this year by making ALL meetings to include YOUR ad hoc committee meetings open to the public - unless your definition and mine are different!
 
Please email me back when you have the answer.
 
Positively,
Council Member Rich Adams
 

"This is the backbone of our country: Americans helping themselves, and each other. Reaching out and finding solutions-solutions that governments and huge institutions can't find." - Ronald Reagan
Richard P. Adams
Hm (360) 832-3899
229 Easton Ave W.
Eatonville, Wa 98328
 
 

Subject: FW: Media
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 13:23:19 -0700
From: Chrystal@eatonville-wa.gov
To: BJA1970@comcast.net; bandprath@hotmail.com; Bpierce@rainierconnect.com; mctec1@comcast.net; rpa99@msn.com
CC: tomandkaren@rainierconnect.com; garmstrong@eatonville-wa.gov

FYI

This has been coming up a lot lately so I thought I would ask the expert and here is what he has to say on the matter. -C

Chrystal McGlone
Town Clerk
(360) 832-3361 EXT 103

From: Pat Mason [mailto:pmason@mrsc.org]
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 11:55 AM
To: Chrystal McGlone
Subject: RE: Media

Hi Chrystal –

A citizen that just puts up a local website about the town does not constitute an official media representative as far as I am aware.  I am not sure the context in which this question is being raised, but this does mean that it does not qualify to publish legal notices or ordinances for the city and it also means that they do not have to be notified of special meetings of the city council.

There are specific definitions in the state statutes in regard to what constitutes an official newspaper and a website like this clearly does not meet that definition.  So it really does not constitute “media” as that term is used in state law.

I hope this helps – let me know if there are further questions.

Pat

From: Chrystal McGlone [mailto:Chrystal@eatonville-wa.gov]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 12:15 PM
To: Pat Mason
Subject: Media

Pat, we have a citizen who put up his own website about our Town "Eatonville".  We have a local newspaper in town that we adopted as our media source and the News Tribune as our secondary by ordinance. Is a website classified as media? Thank you for your assistance in this matter. I really appreciate it. - Chrystal

Chrystal McGlone
Town Clerk
(360) 832-3361 EXT 103