Ted Guy, of Basalt, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the town government for not being transparent enough. Guy is suing Basalt’s mayor, the town clerk and all five council members.
Basalt’s town council met behind closed doors four times over the spring and summer. This violated state law, Guy claims, because the public wasn’t told what the meetings were about.
He asked for recordings of the so-called executive sessions, and the lawsuit indicates he was denied. Furthermore, he is yet to receive the copies he requested of texts and emails between Mayor Jacque Whitsitt and council members.
Guy’s lawsuit also cites instances where the majority of council allegedly discussed issues via text and email: This discussion wasn’t public, also constituting a violation of Open Meetings Law.
Guy declined comment; Basalt’s town attorney, Tom Smith, was unavailable.