FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Two newspapers have filed a lawsuit saying Colorado State University violated open-meeting laws in picking its chancellor.
The CSU Board of Governors chose board member Joe Blake as the sole finalist for chancellor Tuesday, after having interviewed two candidates privately. The Coloradoan and The Pueblo Chieftain filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Larimer County District Court that said the public’s right to participate in government was harmed by the board’s actions.
CSU spokeswoman Michele McKinney said board staff checked twice with the Colorado attorney general’s office to make sure the board acted properly. “The board believes it acted in accordance with the state open-meeting laws,” McKinney said.
The lawsuit asked for a new discussion by the board of Blake’s candidacy, a new vote on naming him the only finalist, and recordings of the board’s deliberations Tuesday.
The newspapers also asked a judge to review past executive-session board meetings to determine whether Blake’s candidacy was discussed before Tuesday. The newspapers sought reimbursement of their legal fees from CSU, if a judge rules in the newspapers’ favor.
State law generally allows a body like the board to go into executive session to consider the appointment of a public official or employee, but it says that provision “shall not apply to discussions concerning any member of the state public body.”
Blake is vice chair of the Board of Governors.
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Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan,
