Sunshine Week, March 16-22, 2025, celebrates the importance of open government to citizens and journalists. On Tuesday, March 18 from 6 to 7 p.m., InDepthNH.org is holding an online seminar on the state’s Right-to-Know statute featuring a panel of experts. Gain an understanding of the statute and how it can be used to access government records. Learn how to file a written RTK request, what records are not subject to RTK, and pending legislation.
Join Annmarie Timmins, NHPR Senior Reporter, Nashua resident Lori Ortolano, known for active involvement in advocating for her city, Barbara Tetreault, Berlin Sun reporter who has successfully navigated the challenge, Constitutional Law Expert Attorney Rick Gagliuso, and Nancy West, founder of InDepthNH.org. Damien Fisher, investigative reporter for InDepthNH.org, will speak to the topic as well as give us a preview of our next Zoom session that will take you into the world of investigative reporting. All sessions are free and open to the public starting at 6 p.m.
We hope you will join us. Sign up for free here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-the-nh-right-to-know-rsa-91a-law-tickets-1226967967219?aff=oddtdtcreator
ANNMARIE TIMMINS, NHPR Senior Reporter
Annmarie Timmins is the education and youth reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. She’s been a reporter and editor in New Hampshire for nearly 25 years and previously worked at the Concord Monitor and the New Hampshire Bulletin. She has taught journalism at the University of New Hampshire and serves as the secretary of the New Hampshire Press Association.
LAURIE ORTOLANO, Advocate
Laurie Ortolano is a resident of Nashua, New Hampshire, known for her active involvement in advocating for transparency in her City. Her journey into civic engagement began around 2017 when she noticed a significant increase in her property’s tax assessment. This led her to scrutinize the city’s assessing practices, during which she uncovered discrepancies, including instances where an assessor was found not performing duties during work hours. Her efforts prompted the city to reevaluate its assessing procedures and conduct a new property valuation in 2021. The DRA issued sanctions against several Nashua assessors for failing to perform their duties.
Ortolano has utilized New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Law extensively to request public records, aiming to shed light on governmental operations. In one notable case, she sought access to specific emails from the Assessing Department. The city contended that retrieving these emails from backup tapes was burdensome. However, in August 2023, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled in Ortolano’s favor, stating that the city must provide the requested emails and undergo remedial training to ensure compliance with transparency laws.
Her persistent advocacy has led to legal confrontations, including a federal lawsuit alleging that city officials retaliated against her for her transparency efforts. Ortolano’s most recent lawsuit challenges records Ortolano was seeking regarding the City’s mismanagement of $70M Trust Fund money. Ortolano filed a formal complaint with the Department of Justice Charitable Trust Unit, which is investigating the matter. Despite these challenges, Ortolano remains a prominent figure in Nashua’s civic landscape, continually pushing for openness and accountability in local government.
ATTORNEY RICK GAGLIUSO, Constitutional Law Expert
Rick Gagliuso is an attorney with the Bernstein Shur law firm in Manchester. For many years his practice has included representing the media and private parties in issues like libel and privacy claims, efforts to gain access to public records and proceedings and the myriad legal issues that may arise during the newsgathering and reporting process. He has litigated many cases under New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Law.
BARBARA TETREAULT, Member Board of Directors
Barbara Tetreault is a North Country native who has spent over 45 years covering the region she calls home. Her career started as an intern at the Coos County Democrat during college breaks. Over the years, she has worked for various newspapers including 28 years with the Berlin Sun, where she retired as managing editor. Tetreault has covered the closing of the region’s paper industry and ongoing efforts to create a new economy. She enjoys writing about the region’s history and the people who live there. She continues to work as a stringer for the Berlin Sun.
DAMIEN FISHER, Investigative Reporter
Damien Fisher is a veteran journalist based in the Monadnock region who enjoys annoying people in authority with Right-To-Know requests and impertinent questions.
NANCY WEST, Founder/Publisher
Nancy West, founder of the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism which publishes InDepthNH.org is a founding member of the Alliance of Nonprofit News Outlets (ANNO). Nancy West founded the nonprofit New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism in April 2015. West is the publisher and executive editor of the center’s investigative news website InDepthNH.org. West has won many awards for investigative reporting during her 30 years at the New Hampshire Union Leader. She is a longtime member of the Institute for Nonprofit News where she previously served on the board of directors. She has taught investigative journalism at the New England Center for Investigative Reporting’s summer program for pre-college students at Boston University. West is passionate about government transparency. West was the recipient of the Michael Donoghue Freedom of Information Award given by the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC) on June 1, 2023, in Boston.
BEVERLY STODDART, Event Moderator
Beverly Stoddart is an award-winning writer, author, and speaker. After 42 years of working for newspapers, she retired to write books. She is on the Board of Trustees of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project. She is the author of Stories from the Rolodex, mini-memoirs of journalists from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Her new psychological thriller, The Woman with a Hole in Her Heart, will be published in 2025. Stoddart writes about authors and life in New Hampshire for www.InDepthNH.org.
Sign up for free here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-the-nh-right-to-know-rsa-91a-law-tickets-1226967967219?aff=oddtdtcreator