email transcript:

To: Washington State Attorney General, attn: Public Records Officer
From: Charlie Burrow
Date: July 7, 2005
Subject: Kitsap County investigation

According to today's Seattle Times:

"[County prosecutor Russell] Hauge is asking the state Attorney General's Office to inquire about why some studies and other documents created by county staff were handed over to the private Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council and the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) Taking them out of the county record meant they didn't turn up when a local resident filed a request under the state Public Disclosure Act to see all documents pertaining to the proposed racetrack."

"[Commissioner Endresen] asked the county public works department last week for copies of work they had done regarding the proposed track. A traffic planner wrote her back and said he had given all his work to the Economic Development Council."

Excuse me if I sound naive but If the records in question were created by county staff, wouldn't they also exist on the county's computer(s), backup files, etc. If so, I would assume that some sort of security measures were in place to protect against someone "(t)aking them out of the county record" without authorization. Is the county's records retention system so faulty that a traffic planner could have "given all his work to the Economic Development Council" without any assistance?

Also, can you identify the individuals in your office, and at the Washington State Patrol, to contact about this investigation? Thanks.

Best regards,
Charlie Burrow