Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information
Minutes, Oct. 17, 2025
The regular monthly meeting was via Zoom.
Present: Mitch Pearlman, Chris Powell, Jeff Daniels, Jodie Gil, Clare Dignan, Katherine Revello, Russell Blair, Thomas Scheffey, Liz Gemski, David DesRoches.
The minutes for the Sept. 17, 2025 meeting were approved.
Legislative report: The 2026 “short session” begins in February and ends in May, Liz Gemski noted, and may be preceded by a special session to deal with health, heating and housing emergencies brought on due to cuts, or non-renewal of federal subsidies. Address anonymity for public employee or public officials will likely be a more urgent topic due to political violence. FOIA awareness and education may become an issue to champion, akin to legislative ethics education, which is offered online. Even so, it would require IT support, and additional funding would be appropriate, Russell Blair noted.
Treasurer’s report: Jacky Smith’s monthly report showed a balance as of Oct. 14 of $5,912.63. We are awaiting further word on Hearst’s $5,000 payment of 2025 dues.
New Business and Old Business: Discussion covered two main topics, the economic future of CCFOI, and public engagement. Pearlman noted that CCFOI, as a 501(c)(4) organization, does not qualify for a charitable deduction, unlike CFOG, its 501(c)(3) companion organization. David noted that most taxpayers do not itemize so the actual impediment to giving may exaggerated at the small donor level. The consensus was that we should form a focus group to analyze the best practices of organizations, like the ACLU, that tailor their organization to facilitate financial support.
In light of 2025 being the 50th anniversary of Connecticut’s FOIA, Jodi reported that a series of pieces on FOI accomplishments has been started on the CCFOI webpage. David suggested expanding the formats to include short videos highlighting FOI effectiveness. Katherine volunteered to help Jodi expand the website formats beyond print stories alone. Pearlman noted that large donors should be on our radar for funding growth.
Looking ahead: The next monthly meeting will be Friday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m. via Zoom.