City Releases Public Records Request from Handy-Clay

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The City Attorney's office has released the public records request from the city of Memphis public records coordinator who was fired shortly after her request.

Bridgett Handy-Clay filed a request for copies of leave forms, vacation, sick and bonus time reported for all of the City Attorney’s office. She also requested copies of all signed approval forms for city attorney’s office employees exempt from reporting to work later than 8:30 a.m.

She also wanted access to pay-roll documents including time sheets and internal personnel files for each employee.

City Attorney Herman Morris fired her. Memphis Chief Administrative Officer George Little said Morris recommended that Handy-Clay be fired for work-performance issues but Handy-Clay says it is retaliation.

She would not say why she requested the payroll records other than to say it had to do with "nepotism and cronyism." Last week, Handy-Clay was named in a lawsuit against the state challenging her refusal to release public records to a resident of another state.

State law says that records must be open for inspection by Tennessee residents.

Several of the files are available but some documents the city says do not exist.