In a public records request about as broad as his own substantial profile, Washington State Republican Party chair Kirby Wilbur has embarked on a political fishing expedition of an epic scale, demanding:
- All emails forwarded by City of Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn to any non-official City of Seattle Government email address.
- Any request for personnel records/emails for City of Seattle Policemen from the Office of the Mayor of Seattle from Jan 1, 2010 through Feb. 8, 2011.
- Mr. McGinn's official calendar from Jan. 1, 2010 through Feb. 8, 2011.
- The time-stamp (and date of) of any proximity card (official card that opens any doors/garage) used by Mr. McGinn at any city office or building.
- All text messages sent/received by Mr. McGinn using city devices.
- All expense reports and details of vendor paid from Jan. 1, 2010 through Feb. 8, 2011 for Mr. McGinn.
- Any paid or in-kinded items (equipment, trips, travel, food, etc) to Mr. McGinn, paid for by any non-City of Seattle Government entity.
Wow. That's a pretty damn broad public records request, and probably pretty damn expensive to fulfill too. So how much will Wilbur's fishing expedition cost the taxpayers of Seattle? I've emailed the city clerk politely asking for a cost estimate, hoping to avoid the public expense of filing a public records request of my own.
But what really befuddles me about Wilbur's request is the point. I mean, why exactly is the Washington State Republican Party chair going after the putatively nonpartisan Mayor of Seattle? Is this some sort of quid pro quo on behalf of the police officer's union, as payback for some of the Mayor's recent criticisms? Or is the WSRP attempting to lay the groundwork for a RONIN (Republican, Only Not In Name) challenger in 2013? (Insert "Tim Burgess" over coughing noise schtick here.)
I've emailed Wilbur for comment, but your guess is as good as mine.
