110. Hello everybody. I know it’s been a while since our last blog and there are several reasons for that. One of them is getting information. It takes time and in some cases, more time than I think it should, in my opinion. My requests from the City Clerk and the Chief of Police have been fine so far. The problem has mostly been from the Mayor’s office.
111. The original request was sent on April 18, 2023 (see point 77). On May 10, 2023, my attorney sent the following email to city attorney Prell. (see below)
Gunnar Johnson
To:Frog Prell
Cc:Aurora Kothe
Wed, May 10 at 8:22 AM
Frog,
On April 18th I sent a data request to the City of Superior on behalf of my client regarding the Palace Bar. On April 24th we met to discuss the logistics and cost of the data request. I understood that the City was going to send a letter with a proposal to clarify/streamline the data request and provide a cost estimate for my client. I am still awaiting that letter.
Please feel free to contact me if I am missing something.
112. On May 12, 2023 we received some of the info we requested. It was 134 pages and was accompanied by a letter from attorney Prell. Below is an excerpt from the letter with his explanation concerning request #5.
“5} All police contacts, reports, or complaints to the City, including the Police Department, Mayor, City Council, and City Attorney, for the past three years from Melissa Kindgren f/k/a Melissa Hyatt or A Dozen Excuses.
Records relevant to this request are included in the material now being released to you. The mayor has indicated that there may well be some records relevant to this request that were created after the closing of the Palace Bar and when Ms. Wheat was attempting to re-open the bar with your assistance. Once you have reviewed the records that are being provided, please let me know if you require any such records that may have been created after the Palace license was voluntarily surrendered.”
113. On our request for information on article #5 (see above), all we received on May 12, 2023 was info from March 18, 2022 till June 30, 2022. I don’t know about you, but I thought my request was very precise about what I was looking for. So, I sent this email below to the city on June 6, 2023.
brian noel
Tue, Jun 6 at 8:57 AM
Hi,
On May 12, 2023, you provided us information from a data request dated April 18,2023. Your cover letter stated that the mayor's office was assembling records from paragraphs 2, 5 and 9. Do you have these records yet.
Thank you,
Brian Noel
I did not get a response, so I sent another email on June 13, 2023. (See below)
brian noel
To:cityclerk@ci.superior.wi.us
Tue, Jun 13 at 9:58 AM
Hi,
I am just following up on a request I sent you June 6, 2023 about a request that was initially sent April 18,2023.
Do you have any idea when I can expect the information.
Brian
The only response I got was was the same one as in point 112. So, on June 14, 2023, I sent the following email.
brian noel <briannoel2@yahoo.com>
To:Blunt, Heidi
Wed, Jun 14 at 1:06 PM
Hello Heidi.
Thanks for your response. I would like copies of all correspondence between the mayor, chief, frog, council, Melissa Hyatt and any other government officials that pertain to the Palace bar from Jan 1, 2020 through March 17,2022 and from June 30, 2022 till now.
Thanks, Brian Noel
No response, so on June 29, 2023 I sent this email directly to attorney Prell. (see below)
brian noel
To:prellf@ci.superior.wi.us
Thu, Jun 29 at 1:01 PM
Hello Attorney Prell,
I have a question regarding a specific request I made. On April 18th, 2023 I sent a list of requests to the city. I want to focus on request number 5 (see below).
5. All police contacts, reports, or complaints to the City, including the Police Department, Mayor, City Council, and City Attorney, for the past three years from Melissa Kindgren f/k/a Melissa Hyatt or A Dozen Excuses.
On May 12, 2023, you sent my attorney a letter. Below is your response to that request.
Records relevant to this request are included in the material now being released to you. The mayor has indicated that there may well be some records relevant to this request that were created after the closing of the Palace Bar and when Ms. Wheat was attempting to re-open the bar with your assistance. Once you have reviewed the records that are being provided, please let me know if you require any such records that may have been created after the Palace license was voluntarily surrendered.
On June 14, 2023 I sent an email to the city clerk (see below)
Hello Heidi.
Thanks for your response. I would like copies of all correspondence between the mayor, chief, frog, council, Melissa Hyatt and any other government officials that pertain to the Palace bar from Jan 1, 2020 through March 17, 2022 and from June 30, 2022 till now.
I have not had a response as of today, June 29, 2023.
My original request was for those documents for 2020 till now.
The documents I got were for a small window (March 18, 22 through June 30, 22).
My question is, are there documents prior to March18, 22 and after June 30, 22 and if so, when can I expect them.
Thanks,
Brian Noel
114. As of today, I still have no response.
115. This is typical of Mayor Paine’s stall, delay and deflect campaign. I will have much more on this in future blogs.
About the Blog
116. When I decided to do this blog, I felt the best way was to tell the story chronologically.
The most important thing though, was to tell the story truthfully. The only way to do that, is to accumulate as many facts as I can. Getting some facts have taken longer to get than I would have hoped. That’s why there has been a gap in time with Blog 7. Going forward, I have decided that if this happens again, I will publish the facts I have and if and when I get them, I will update you at that time.
A Tale of three letters
117. On April 18, 2023, I made a request to the city. (see next line)
“Copies of All documents where the Mayor has threatened the non-renewal of a business license of any kind in the past ten years.”
118. On May 12, 2023, I received two letters. You can view these below as well as the letter I got on April 12, 2022 which I posted on point 12 in my first blog.
119. The two letters seem reasonable in tone. The only real difference is in the first paragraph of both letters. He is accusing one place of obstructing police officers and the other of prostitution and officers responding to a shooting. He then goes on to say “give me a call and we remain ready and willing to assist you etc. I had no knowledge of these incidents. Did any of the local papers run these two stories? If so, please let me know.
120. Then there is the letter to us. My first thought goes back to shortly after I got that letter on April 12, 2022.. I told a few people that I had this picture in my head that Melissa Hyatt was screaming through a bullhorn at the Mayor while he was writing the letter. When I read the two letters on May 12, 2023, It took me back to my old Sesame Street days and the song “One of these things is not like the other”. Is that what you call Equal Application of The Law? I’ll have more on this on a later blog because right now (July 3, 2023) it is 112 degrees outside and I’m going out for some beer and chicken.
