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Watauga GOP Chair Anne-Marie Yates Files Lawsuit Against ASU for Stonewalled Public Records Request

*Release from Nathan Miller, who is representing Watauga GOP Chair Anne Marie Yates, in the lawsuit filed against Appalachian State University

Oct. 7, 2014. It truly is a sad day when a storied state institution such as Appalachian State University decides that it is above the law and chooses to protect the political advocacy of its professors as opposed to open and transparent government.

It is a well known fact that most professors in academia are supporters of various liberal causes and that statement rings true at ASU. Everyone, including professors, are entitled to their political beliefs. However state law demands that all state employees limit their political activity to their own time and state law further requires that state property not be used.

Watauga County Republican Chair Anne-Marie Yates holds up a sign that says “Fair Voting for All Watauga" at a Board of Elections meeting in March.
Watauga County Republican Chair Anne-Marie Yates holds up a sign that says “Fair Voting for All Watauga” at a Board of Elections meeting in March.

The reasons for this are simple, taxpayers should not have to pay to purchase and maintain equipment that will be used to further political beliefs in which they do not agree.

In addition taxpayers should not have to pay the salaries of people who, instead of doing the job they are hired to perform, advocate opposing political beliefs.

The Watauga County GOP felt certain that ASU was allowing political advocacy to be utilized by state employees on taxpayers’ property and taxpayers’ time.

Therefore Anne-Marie Yates, Chairwoman of the Watauga County Republican Party, sent a public records request on November 6, 2013 asking for all emails contained on the ASU email system of a certain professor who is a known liberal political activist.

North Carolina law requires that all public records requests be timely answered. However ASU decided that it was above the law and for months did not answer the request.

In 2014, ASU did release a small amount of the emails requested but as of the date of the filing of the legal complaint on October 6, 2014, ASU has failed to deliver any more the public records request. It is clear that 11 months is an unreasonable amount of time to delay a public records request.

The emails that were given do show that this professor did participate in political advocacy at the taxpayers’ expense in violation of North Carolina law. It is anticipated that the rest of the emails will show a lot more instances of political advocacy at the taxpayers’ expense. It is unknown if ASU has addressed this issue with its staff but is incumbent on all citizens to ensure that the university adhere to State law and stop allowing the Democrats to have an unfair state funded advantage.

Mrs. Yates is very disappointed that she had to file a lawsuit against her Alma Mater. However she and the rest of the Watauga County Republican Party cannot allow the university and some of its employees to continue to break the law to the detriment of the citizens.

An open government is the foundation of our Republic and these standards must be upheld.

See complaint filed: Complaint

*Release from Nathan Miller, who is representing Watauga GOP Chair Anne Marie Yates, in the lawsuit filed against Appalachian State University