NYRI Nervousness 2...

Another bit of information came out yesterday about NYRI's resistance to public disclosure of its lease with the railroad. Now NYRI argues that disclosure would

"constitute an invasion of privacy of power-line company officials named in the contract."

Just what kinds of private information are they afraid of disclosing? Social security numbers? Personal bank accounts? Personal Income? Arrest records? Medical treatments? Job performance evaluations? Communicable diseases? Drug treatments? It is hard to imagine what kind of private information would be contained in a lease.

The FOIL allows agencies (but does not require agencies) to deny public access to records which

"if disclosed would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal
privacy under the provisions of subdivision two of section eighty-nine
of this article . . " (Public Officers Law §87(2)(b))."

Public Officers Law §89 provides that

"(b) An unwarranted invasion of personal privacy includes,
but shall not be limited to:
i. disclosure of employment, medical or credit histories
or personal references of applicants for employment;
ii. disclosure of items involving the medical or personal
records of a client or patient in a medical facility;
iii. sale or release of lists of names and addresses
if such lists would be used for commercial or fund-raising
purposes;
iv. disclosure of information of a personal nature when
disclosure would result in economic or personal hardship to
the subject party and such information is not relevant to the
work of the agency requesting or maintaining it. . ."

Again ... the public has the right to know who the NYRI players are.