Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information
Minutes, Annual Meeting, June 16, 2026
The meeting was in Glastonbury.
Present: Michele Jacklin, Tom Scheffey, Jacqueline Smith, Mary Connolly, Jeff Daniels, Steve Nevas, Chris Powell, David DesRoches, Jodie Gil, Mitch Pearlman, Colleen Murphy.
The minutes for the May 15, 2026 monthly meeting were accepted.
President’s report: At the March 20 monthly meeting, Jacklin announced she is not seeking another term as president but wants to remain on the board. As president, she said her goal was to increase the involvement of board members in legislative lobbying efforts and to improve CCFOI’s financial stability.
Annual awards event: CCFOI took a new approach to this annual awards event by partnering with the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. The June 10 event at Farmington Gardens was a great success. There was agreement to discuss a similar partnership with SPJ next year.
Treasurer’s report: Smith reported a balance of $15,692.25.
A new board member: Colleen Murphy, who recently retired as executive director of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, was unanimously elected to join the board. Welcome!
Annual election of officers: It was agreed to adopt a co-presidency leadership structure. The nominated slate of officers was unanimously elected: Co-President David DesRoches, Co-President Tom Scheffey, Treasurer Jacqueline Smith and Secretary Mary Connolly. The current directors were unanimously re-elected. They are: Paul Bass, Jeff Daniels, Clare Dignan, Jodie Gil, Michele Jacklin, Colleen Murphy, Steve Nevas, Mitch Pearlman, Chris Powell, Katherine Revello and Mike Savino. Legislative Co-Chairs will be Michele Jacklin and Mike Savino. Jodie Gil will continue as webmaster.
Fundraising: The board discussed a new fundraising approach proposed by Pearlman. As he said in his proposal, CCFOI fills a “unique and essential mission of lobbying the legislature on behalf of Freedom of Information, open and transparent government, and a free and independent press. Our appeal for support should go well beyond Connecticut news organizations. To take on this task, a new fundraising committee was created. The volunteers are Connolly, Daniels, DesRoches, Murphy, Pearlman and Smith.
Looking ahead: The next CCFOI monthly meeting will be Friday, Sept. 18, at 9 a.m. via Zoom.