KELLY FARRELL / Staff

Marco city manager Steve Thompson speaks to the Marco Island Taxpayers Association, including MITA President Fay Biles, left, at Marco Community Bank Tuesday evening. He shared his top priorities for the city which were open communication between City Hall and the public as well as protecting residents' investments through maintenance of their city-owned property.

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While City Manager Steve Thompson said one of his top priorities on Marco Island is “open and accessible information,” an old policy is now being enforced to limit media and City Council communication with city staff.

For the first time last week a call to Code Enforcement Officer Eric Wardle yields this response to Eagle inquiries: “I’d love to talk to you, but I can’t. A memo from (Community Development Director) Steve Olmsted says to direct your questions to him.”

Olmsted read the memo “off the record” before supplying these policies and the dates he formally enacted them. The policy states that requests under the Freedom of Information Act, requests by media, City Council and other city departments must go through Olmsted first in order to “coordinate a response.”

While these policies were apparently on the books for over a year, they were never enforced or followed until last week.

Thompson said he is “not concerned (the policy) is a cap on open communication,” and added “I hold Steve (Olmsted) responsible that all information regarding his department is correct. I also hold him accountable for providing information timely and accurately,” he said.

Thompson said to give Olmsted and the policies a chance and if there are any complaints about the policy or access to information, he would not tolerate it.

When asked why he frequently begins answering questions with “this is off the record” or “please don’t quote me on this,” Olmsted explained that he is careful with media and has not had positive experiences with some articles printed in the past.

“Having the other employees available to respond is more a convenience if the director is not available,” said Thompson. He also says if Olmsted is not always available and it becomes a problem, the policy will not last long.

Although no city staff would go on record acknowledging concerns of the policy, two city councilors would. Councilor Frank Recker backed up his concern and opposition to any policy that in any way limits communication or information about the city with an e-mail to Thompson, City Council and department heads.

“I support free access by media. I think this is like me having to go through the city manager before I can speak to the press. This policy will only raise questions about what a department head is trying to conceal, or suppress. Unless contacts by media are causing job disruptions they should have unfettered access in my opinion. I want to leave no doubt about how I feel on this subject. I litigate First Amendment cases on the side of the party being suppressed!” Recker wrote in the e-mail.

Councilor Rob Popoff also had concerns about the policy, particularly that it would impede upon “proper use” of the public information coordinator, Lisa Douglass.

Douglass said she would not change the way she handled information or communication based on the policy.

Olmsted said he believed other municipalities may have similar policies.

Others, such as Collier County, do have similar policies relating to funneling information through a public information officer.

A question about quick cleanup of Marco Island’s beaches after the fireworks by Collier County on a weekend, led to some information from a county staff person. The provided information was followed by “Oh yeah, I’m not allowed to talk to the media.”

The positive story he told was all “off the record” and he said no one else knew the story, so it did not run.

Olmsted said if his policy brings these results, he will revise the policy and find one that works.

Councilor Wayne Waldack also supported the policy and the right for department directors to control the information regarding their departments, as long as the information is still being made available timely and accurately.

As for whether he believed Olmsted was the best one to distribute that information, Waldack said, “I love Steve ... I don’t always agree with the way he phrases things. I can’t shut him up and I won’t shut him up.”

Waldack said the intent is not to “rile up the community” but to get them factual information. He added that a few negative employees “bite the hand that feeds them.”