Monday, April 23, 2012
After four back-to-back terms of city council representation for Wildwood's Ward 2, one member's term is maxed out, per the city's guidelines.
Holly Parks was first elected to the Wildwood City Council in 2004. As of Monday night, her consecutively served terms are officially fulfilled for now. She has been serving as Wildwood's mayor pro-tempore since April 2011. "Some of the most exciting times were the building of the city's initial trails, as well as the witnessing Wildwood's development," she told Patch. Parks most recently participated in the Planning/Economic Development/Parks (PEP) Committee, and was the city council liaison to the Architectural Review Board. She was one of 16 total council members for the municipality. Parks served on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission for three years prior to her council service. Council member Ed Marshall is the other Ward 2 …
Friday, July 22, 2011
Attorneys said Holly Parks, Wildwood city council member, Ward 2, did not violate the Sunshine Law or the city charter in a Wednesday evening special public hearing. Read why that is the case.
An investigation of alleged inappropriate activity by a Wildwood city council member, Holly Parks, concluded Wednesday night with a special public hearing at the city's chamber. She was cleared of all legal ramifications, with the majority of council members present voting 11-2 to stop gathering evidence and to conclude the investigation. But the outcome did not occur without debates regarding the council's perceived best practices of communicating, overall ethical questions, and different legal interpretations of laws governing open, transparent government activity. The investigation was prompted by a complaint filed May 26 by Wildwood resident Bill Kennedy, who submitted that the substance of a particular e-mail distributed by Parks on …
Friday, July 1, 2011
Special, external legal counsel was hired by Wildwood officials to conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of Missouri Sunshine Law and Wildwood city charter guidelines by one city council member.
Special legal counsel is being sought by Wildwood representatives to conduct an investigation on July 20 about a city council member who maintains she did not violate Sunshine Laws. Holly Parks, Ward 2 council member, was accused of violating Missouri's Sunshine law when she sent an electronic communication on May 19. That email, sent from home on her personal email account to a group of fellow council members, was about the potential reconsideration of Don Kozlowski as an appointed council member. Parks did not copy Wildwood's city clerk on the correspondence. Parks sent the email to seven other council members. Including herself, eight council members were associated with the email, raising concerns that Parks may have violated the …
Missouri Sunshine Laws were introduced in 1973, seven years after the Freedom of Information Act was passed in Congress in response to the Watergate scandal. Wildwood city officials will revisit the laws July 20 when investigating a city council member.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's office shares the following tips via the state's website: 1. When in doubt, a meeting or record of a public body should be opened to the public. 2. The Sunshine Law applies to all records, regardless of what form they are kept in, and to all meetings, regardless of the manner in which they are held. 3. The Sunshine Law allows a public body to close meetings and records to the public in some limited circumstances, but it almost never requires a public body to do so. 4. A public body generally must give at least 24 hours' public notice before holding a meeting. If the meeting will be closed to the public, the notice must state the specific provision of the law that allows the …
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wildwood's city representatives and attorney face decisions about a complex, internal matter.
Where does freedom of speech for city-elected officials end and Sunshine Laws that dictate transparency in government begin? As reported in Eureka-Wildwood Patch, Wildwood city council members voted at the June 13 meeting to pursue an official investigation about the actions taken by fellow council member, Holly Parks, during a period of time when attempts were under way to appoint a person for a vacancy on the council. Parks represents Ward 2. (Read previous articles: Appointed Wildwood Council Member Sworn In and Is Latest Wildwood Council Member Official?) Since the June 13 city council meeting, Wildwood resident Bill Kennedy also filed a request to explore whether Parks had violated ethical guidelines as established by the city's …
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
One of Wildwood's Ward 2 city council members, Holly Parks, will be investigated regarding an e-mail she sent May 19 about the potential reconsideration of a recommended appointee for a vacant Ward 1 slot. She says it's Freedom of Speech.
At Monday evening's Wildwood city council meeting, the majority of 13 council members present at the meeting voted 11-2 to initiate an investigation about whether the actions of one council member violated city charter guidelines and Missouri's Sunshine Law. Missouri's Sunshine Law anchors transparency regarding government-related activities. The law states that meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governmental bodies be open to the public, unless otherwise provided by law, such as during legal action situations or personnel matters. For details regarding the state's Sunshine Law, click here. Parks sent an electronic communication on May 19 from her personal e-mail account to a group of fellow council members …
Daniel J Topik
11:01 pm on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
I was disappointed in how the City Council acted in regard to Don Kozlowski's nomination and Holly Parks' role in the effort to make sure Don would not be appointed. Holly and the members of the City Council who voted against Don did so for their own personnel agendas and disregarded the wishes of the residents of Ward One. There should have been a debate at the City Council Meeting as to whether… more ›