This is PRIVATE information Oh, yeah, I forgot….

Yesterday a newspaper called to tell me about a conversation with its local ambulance district.
The paper asked for a financial statement for the past year. Why do you want it? asked the
secretary of the district. (Yes, that’s wrong, but it just gets worse.) Because I want to know
how much money you paid certain people, the newspaper reporter said.

Well, that’s PRIVATE INFORMATION, was the response she received. ARE YOU
KIDDING ME? Can you believe the ambulance district clerk would make such a remark? Just
where does she think the funds for the operation of the district are coming from?

I know newspaper reporters are not all rocket scientists, and they make mistakes, too. But when
you take a position in a public office, you would think you would be smart enough to realize that
because public funds pay for the operation of that office, the public has a right to know how
those funds are being spent. This is one public body that needs to send someone to one of the AG
sunshine law courses ASAP.