Some of the blacked-out text in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's recently released emails has been restored, the Chicago-based Better Government Association (BGA) reported recently.
Sections of the mayor’s 3,200 pages of personal messages that were redacted when first released are now confirmed as containing some telling remarks and queries between Emanuel and staffers, the BGA said. For example, one passage referred to a public relations discussion in which Emanuel pushed to have his efforts on a major city development stressed while playing down a city alderman’s role.
The BGA said the main reason for demanding the reversal of the redactions was the difficulty of grasping a conversation, since some blacked-out portions created sequential gaps. The BGA had filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago and the mayor, demanding access to the material.
"It's unfortunate that it took a lawsuit to produce the transparency we all deserve," BGA President and CEO Andy Shaw said. "But … this is a major step forward in the fight for transparency at city hall."ail
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