Court says twp. official's notes can stay private

DUNCAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- The Michigan appeals court says handwritten notes taken by a township official for personal use are not public under the state's Freedom of Information Act. The court last Friday upheld a decision by an Upper Peninsula judge, who said notes taken by a Duncan Township trustee in 2009 were for his own use and not part of the township's public record. The court says Frank Pentti's notes were not read into the record, not shared with other township board members nor viewed by the clerk, who compiled meeting minutes. Pentti says he's been taking notes since his college days. Pentti now is the supervisor in Duncan Township, which is in Houghton County in the western Upper Peninsula. It's not clear why resident Doug Hopkins wanted the notes. Published: Tue, Oct 25, 2011