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Warren Mayor Fouts Fights Back Against FOIA

WARREN (WWJ) - Warren Mayor Jim Fouts is taking on the Freedom of Information Act that allows Michigan citizens to gain access to public records.

Fouts said he's concerned that the law has allowed a Warren resident to gain access to his email.

Speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950, Fouts said  it's a violation of privacy for Warren residents who contact him at his office.

"People have a reasonable assumption that if they call the mayor up, and they have a complaint, they will often say to me, 'I don't want this to be made public'," said Fouts.

"Maybe they give me tips about drug houses or about a complaint about a neighbor, about a city employee or something, that now potentially is compromised because of this ruling," he said. "What I'm really outraged about is that the state legislature that wrote the FOIA law purposely exempted themselves."

Fouts said judges and the governor are also exempt and if he has to comply, they should, too.

This isn't the Warren mayor's first beef with FOIA. Last year, Fouts made headlines when he reportedly thwarted an attempt by a local attorney to publicly reveal his age.

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