The Delaware Attorney General’s office says state officials wanted to charge too much money to fulfill a public records request filed by the former state treasurer Chip Flowers.
In January 2015, Flowers asked for copies of all emails sent and received by him while he was state treasurer the prior year.
The following month, state officials said the cost for retrieving, reviewing and redacting any classified information for the nearly 24,000 emails would cost Flowers more than $15,000.
Throughout the remainder of 2015, Flowers and those overseeing his public records request sparred over the need for the coordinator – who wasn’t a lawyer – to review the emails, thereby driving up the price.
He eventually appealed the decision to the Attorney General’s office, which has now sided with him in part, ordering a new bill for Flowers excluding legal review fees.
Flowers served one term as treasurer – a tenure pocked by his alleged relationship with his former deputy who was fired for misusing a state credit card.
She later filed harassment complaints against him, which were later dropped.
