Better late than never.
After more than six months, the Empire Center for Public Policy is finally going to get a slew of information on the City Council’s member items requested through the state Freedom of Information Law. The request was filed shortly before Council Speaker Christine Quinn unveiled a new member items database, allowing New Yorkers to search through the council’s member items for this fiscal year.
The center had requested member items going back to 2006, including contact information for any nonprofit that received funding.
When it didn’t receive anything after several months, the state watchdog filed a suit against the council. Tim Hoefer, the center’s director of operations, said they plan to drop the suit as long as they get the information promised. According to the Daily News, they should receive the information on Wednesday.
“This is a victory for taxpayers throughout New York,” said Hoefer in a prepared statement. “We applaud Speaker Quinn for acknowledging the tardiness of the Council’s response to our FOIL and for her commitment to expanding openness in the future.”
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