Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information
Minutes, May 15, 2026
The regular monthly meeting was via Zoom.
Present: Michele Jacklin, Tom Sheffey, Jacqueline Smith, Mary Connolly, Chris Powell, Mitch Pearlman, Mike Savino, Paul Bass, Katherine Revello, Jodi Gill, David DesRoches, Clare Dignan, Liz Gemski, Russell Blair.
Minutes for the April 17, 2026 and May 8, 2026 meetings were accepted.
Annual awards event: Planning continues for the awards event CCFOI and the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists will jointly sponsor. Jacklin and Martha Shanahan, CTSPJ president, are coordinating the planning. Save the date! It will be June 10, starting at 6 p.m., at Farmington Gardens, 999 Farmington Ave., Farmington. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a happy hour followed by a buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. The cost will be $45 per person. There will be a cash bar and free parking. Tickets will be available online and we expect to have tickets available at the door. Stay tuned for final arrangements on tickets in the days ahead.
CCFOI award winners: Our winners were outlined in the May 8 minutes. Katherine Revello, a reporter for Inside Investigator, will receive the Stephen A. Collins Award. State Comptroller Sean Scanlon will receive the Bice Clemow Award. Sen. Heather Somers and Rep. Roland Lemar will receive Champion of Open Government awards. Colleen Murphy will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
CCFOI presenters: Sheffey will present Revello’s award. Savino will present the awards to Somers and Lemar. Smith will present Murphy’s award. Scanlon will be unable to attend. He has offered to provide a video. Jacklin will check with Farmington Gardens if a video can be accommodated.
CTSPJ have chosen its own award winners: The First Amendment Award goes to the Connecticut Mirror for an investigation of the lax standards and predatory practices of the towing industry. It was produced in collaboration with ProPublica and won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting. The Mirror reporters are Dave Altimari and Ginny Monk. The Stephen A. Collins Public Service Award and the Theodore Driscoll Award for Investigative Reporting have been won by reporters and editors from Hearst Connecticut Media Group for a project on homelessness.
Legislative update: Gemski reviewed the legislative session recap she emailed to board members on May 13. She followed 22 FOI-related bills during the session, an unusual and challenging situation. Most of these were aimed at weakening the FOI Act and had been proposed before. Some of these bills seeking to add exemptions to the FOI Act can be covered by existing exemptions but bills are still introduced. Gemski said the session was a success in terms of protecting the FOI Act but a better process is needed. As Gemski said: “It would save time, resources and political capital.”
Treasurer’s report: Smith reported a balance of $19,254.89.
Finance meeting: At the April monthly meeting it was agreed to have a special meeting in May devoted to finances and fundraising strategies. It was agreed that meeting will be Tuesday, May 26, at 10 a.m. via Zoom.
Annual meeting: Our annual retreat will be Tuesday, June 16, at noon in the backyard of Mitch Pearlman, 35 Bunker Hill Road, Glastonbury. On the agenda is election of officers and our year ahead. Pearlman will order lunches from Panera. He will be in touch by email to get our orders.
Karen Florin: Karen has been staying in Florida to care for relatives who are ill. That situation is continuing and she decided to resign. Thank you, Karen, for all your help.
Looking ahead: Finance meeting Tuesday, May 26, at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Annual awards event Wednesday, June 10, at 6 p.m. at Farmington Gardens, 999 Farmington Ave., Farmington. Annual retreat Tuesday, June 16, at noon, at Mitch Pearlman’s home, 35 Bunker Hill Road, Glastonbury.