Ousted Administrator's Wife Files Open Records Request

Kathy Andreasen, wife of ousted Village Administrator Mike Andreasen, has filed an open records request with Mount Pleasant for email messages related to her late husband.

According to an email message from Debra Salas, village clerk/treasurer, Kathy called in her request and it contained the following:

• All police reports in relation to Michael Andreasen;
• An unedited copy of the letter dated May 6, 2011 written by Juliet Edmands;All emails from April 1 to date, referencing Michael Andreasen on Village computers from or to any employee or village board member;
• All of Trustee Karen Albeck’s emails from April 1 to date, retained on Village computers or on her personal computer in regards to government business;
• Any email correspondence with the Racine Journal Times retained on Village computers;
• Any formal complaints filed against Michael Andreasen;
• Any findings or records in relation to any formal complaint filed against Michael Andreasen; and
• Any correspondence with the District Attorney in relation to Michael Andreasen.

When reached this afternoon by Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch, Andreasen was not willing to comment on her request.

Trustee Karen Albeck confirmed she was notified by Salas on Aug. 22.

"I just received a call from our Clerk/Treasurer that in addition to any email messages related to Mike, Kathy is also requesting any email messages from me pertaining to government business," Albeck said. "Which is fine with me. There's nothing there that should be hidden."

Trustee John Hewitt said he wasn't aware of the request, but Jerry Garski said he got the call today as well.

"All of our village emails are on the village servers," he said. "Those messages are an open record and Mrs. Andreasen is entitled to them."

Mike Andreasen was dismissed without cause on May 9 after former Clerk/Treasurer Juliet Edmands hand-delivered a letter outlining a pattern of harrassment that made working at Village Hall a toxic environment.

Patch has submitted an open records request to Mount Pleasant for any open records requests filed between April 1, 2011 and Aug. 22, 2011 pertaining to Mike Andreasen and any related documents.

A call to Village President Carolyn Milkie was not immediately returned.