Latest news with #Dingman
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge rules City of Fort Smith violated Freedom of Information Act following failed hire
FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Sebastian County judge has ruled that the City of Fort Smith and its acting city administrator violated the state's Freedom of Information Act. Fort Smith-based attorneys Joey McCutchen and Stephen Napurano filed the lawsuit against the city on May 2 after claiming Fort Smith failed to provide all public records related to the hiring of Rebecca Cowan as internal auditor. Cowan was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors on April 22, but the offer was rescinded after it was revealed she had a pending felony stalking charge. The City of Fort Smith told Talk Business & Politics, 'Human Resources produced the background check and relayed the information to Administration per City protocol.' Acting City Administrator Jeff Dingman, in an email to McCutchen, said, 'The background check information was delivered in hard copy. That record no longer exists. The Chief Human Resources Officer does not have a copy of the packet that was delivered. There is no hard copy.' An email from Dingman, not included in the city's FOIA response, was later obtained directly from a board member, according to the lawsuit. This email stated that Dingman 'did not believe a background check was performed.' The lawsuit also alleged the city failed to respond in a timely manner and may have withheld or destroyed public records. Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club awards $64K in 2025-26 college scholarships On June 3, the judge assigned to the lawsuit ruled in favor of McCutchen and Napurano during a hearing. An order, officially filed on June 5, said 'The Defendants' failure to timely respond, thefailure to provide clearly responsive records, the absence of any valid extension or waiver, and the troubling lack of transparency regarding the missing background check' were reasons as to why the city was ruled to have violated the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. A spokesperson from the City of Fort Smith gave the following statement to KNWA/FOX24 in response to the judge's ruling: 'While the City of Fort Smith provided all relevant documents in response to Mr. McCutchen's FOIA request, we did not meet the three-business-day deadline outlined in the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and missed the deadline by two business days. The City remains committed to operating with transparency and integrity in all public records processes.' The ruling said the city will be responsible for paying attorney fees to McCutchen and Napurano. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine Democrats choose new party leaders
Jan. 27—Democrats have chosen a lawyer from Central Maine to lead the state party for the next two years — an election cycle that will include statewide races for governor and U.S. Senate. The party announced Monday that Charlie Dingman of Leeds was elected as chair and Imke Schlesser-Jandreau of Bangor was elected as vice chair. Both candidates hail from the more rural, conservative 2nd Congressional District, whose voters will be key to winning statewide offices in two years. Dingman, a lawyer who has served on the board for Maine Equal Justice, which advocates for low income residents and families, and served on committees for the party and the Justice Action Group, which supports legal aid providers and social justice groups, is planning to focus on unifying the party and reaching voters across the state ahead of the 2026 cycle. "This is a challenging moment for all of us in the party of Maine's working people, as our new national regime serves the interests of the very few who are wealthy enough not to do their own work, and pursues its agenda without a care for those most vulnerable to their cruelty," Dingman said in written statement. "They want to confuse and distract working people by turning us against each other. I believe Maine Democrats spoke loudly and clearly today that we will counter that toxic agenda with all our strength, reaching out to those in our rural and urban communities alike to reconnect with the disillusioned and expand our mission of fairness and opportunity for everyone." Schlesser-Jandreau is a communications professional, who said in a written statement that Democrats have "an incredible opportunity to rebrand the party, lean into our values, and bring people together." Party officials did not immediately respond to questions about how many other candidates ran for party chair. Maine Democrats cut against national trends last November, maintaining their majorities in both the state Senate and House of Representatives, albeit by smaller margins, for Democratic Gov. Janet Mills' final two years in office. Democrats have held the governor's office and both chamber of the Legislature since 2019. With Mills termed out of office, the 2026 gubernatorial race is expected to be a wide-open race. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says she's planning on seeking reelection. No challengers have emerged, though Mills did not rule out running when asked by the Press Herald in December. Dingman and Schlesser-Jandreau replace outgoing Chair Bev Uhlenhake and Vice Chair Julian Rogers, who did not seek another term. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine Democratic Party elects new leadership focused on uniting ‘all corners of the state'
The Maine sign at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which was held in Chicago. (Photo via Maine Democratic Party) Members of the Maine Democratic Party selected Leeds attorney Charles Dingman as its new chair as the party seeks to pivot from November's losses and focus on attracting a wider swathe of Mainers ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election. The Maine Democratic State Committee on Sunday also chose Imke Schlesser-Jandreau of Bangor to serve as vice chair. Neither Dingman nor Schlesser-Jandreau were endorsed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills who, ahead of Sunday's election, sent a letter to the committee throwing her support behind former state Rep. Raegan LaRochelle for chair and Jonathan Asen for vice chair. Candidates to lead Maine Democratic Party hope to focus on rural outreach 'This is a challenging moment for all of us in the party of Maine's working people, as our new national regime serves the interests of the very few who are wealthy enough not to do their own work, and pursues its agenda without a care for those most vulnerable to their cruelty,' Dingman said in a statement after the vote. 'I believe Maine Democrats spoke loudly and clearly today that we will counter that toxic agenda with all our strength, reaching out to those in our rural and urban communities alike to reconnect with the disillusioned and expand our mission of fairness and opportunity for everyone.' In addition to working at a private legal practice in Augusta, where he specializes on issues related to health care, Dingman has worked for several government agencies, including serving as general counsel on the Maine Health Care Finance Commission, and has volunteered for the board of Maine Equal Justice. Having grown up on his family farm in Turner and now living in Leeds, Dingman told Maine Morning Star he feels 'connected to parts of the state … where we have a lot of our work to do in terms of reaching people who may have lost interest in Democratic Party.' With a background in communications, which she teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Maine, Bangor resident Schlesser-Jandreau said in a statement that she will work with Dingman to expand outreach efforts. 'We have an incredible opportunity to rebrand the party, lean into our values, and bring people together,' Schlesser-Jandreau said. 'By listening to Mainers who have felt unheard for too long we will build strong grassroots campaigns that unite all corners of the state. I'm excited to work alongside our Chair and Democrats across Maine to make a real difference in every community.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
