u/Mobile-Delay-6098

Well it looks like I've pissed off the officials at the town of Selma with my Flock public records request. Because they're about to vote on a new policy when it comes to public records request. Of course, they'll vote on during the meeting where there's no public comments so people can't criticize it. But here are somethings about it that may violate NC law.

>1 - All Public Record Requests shall be directed to the Clerk’s Office. The Clerk’s Office (including the Clerk or designee) may ask the requester to submit their requests in writing, or in accordance with the request form provided by the Town.

This is a clear violation of NC law. NC § 132-2  states, "The public official in charge of an office having public records shall be the custodian thereof." Also, § 132-6 (a) states, "Every custodian of public records shall permit any record in the custodian's custody to be inspected and examined at reasonable times and under reasonable supervision by any person, and shall, as promptly as possible, furnish copies thereof upon payment of any fees as may be prescribed by law. As used herein, "custodian" does not mean an agency that holds the public records of other agencies solely for purposes of storage or safekeeping or solely to provide data processing.

So if I have a public records request about accounting, I can do directly to the person in charge of accounting ask request it. I do not need to go to the Clerk's office. Requiring everyone to go through the Clerk's office is a clear violation.

Also, the new policy says that the clerk may ask to submit their requests in writing. Technically legal but you do not have to comply. You are allowed to ask for public records in any format. You're also not required to give your name, address, or reason why you want the records.

Another thing is that if a request is too broad or ambiguous, the town says you now have 2 weeks to change it.

>Should the requester fail to clarify or narrow the request or fail to address the required deposit / pending charges within two weeks of notification, the Clerk’s Office will close the request and update the Public Record Request Inventory accordingly.

I find this very hypocritical of the town because I've sent several requests to Dalton Larsen-Batten, the current clerk, and he's taken more than 2 weeks to get back to me. As of this writing, I sent my latest request, which is the location of every Flock camera in Selma, on September 8th and he's still haven't responded.

This last part I think is the worst.

>Special service fees may be retroactively applied to any open public records request submitted on, or after, July 1, 2026.

So if you've made a public records request after July 1st, you could be charged for it. I definitely believe this is the town retaliating against me for my requests about Flock cameras.

Like I said, this vote looks like it'll take place when there isn't any public comments. So Selma residents, let them know beforehand that they can't pull this shady stuff because they got their feelings hurt about Flock cameras.

Any personal recommendations for a trusted tailor? I’m getting the bust of a gown modified for a wedding.

I’ve yet to see young adults my age in Raleigh from Guyana- just missing home I guess

Looks like GTCC has officially picked a party for the start of the school year. A few days ago they approved a Turning a point USA chapter.

Hi! I was reading the substack by Robert Reich and I have to say he is always right. He sees the whole political picture clearly and he hands you the facts about recent history. Is anyone thinking about the non-voter? So many millions of people were turned off from participating because of the policies of the Clinton and Obama administrations. They didn't all go Maga, many of them just gave up. Trade agreements that abandoned whole communities, bailouts for Wall Street. We really didn't get much from those 16 years. Just left further and further behind.

Edit to add: My first vote was in 1984. I was super excited to vote for the Mondale/Ferraro ticket. I have to go to the "Computer Savvy" workshop at the library every month because I am technophobic. That was where I learned about Reddit.

My sources are: "Bill Clinton, New Guilded Age President" by Patrick Maney : "Neoliberalism From Reagan to Clinton" , "Casualities of Clintonism" the baffler.com : "Bill Clinton Concedes Role in Mass Incarceration" CNN : "Did the 1994 Crime Bill Cause Mass Incarceration" the Bookings Institute : "The Mendacity of Hope" by Rodger Hodge : "Change We Can Believe In, Barack Obama's Plan To Renew America's Promise" by Barack Obama

My given: Bill Clinton lowered childhood poverty from 26% to 16% by expanding the childhood tax credit. Barack Obama created the Affordable Care Act

• Increased Coverage — Over 20 million adults gained health coverage since the ACA's implementation.
• Medicaid Expansion — The ACA expanded Medicaid in 40 states, covering 21 million low-income adults.
• Pre-existing Conditions — Approximately 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions are protected from losing insurance.
• Preventive Services — 39 million beneficiaries have free access to preventive medical services.

So I will concede that there were some achievements by those administrations. However, neither one of them spent much political capital on improving the material conditions of the working class.

I want more.