Havre Daily files for Sharp firing information

The Havre Daily News has filed an open records request for information concerning the dismissal of Great Northern Fairgrouns Manager Mike Sharp.

The request, filed Tuesday, was sent to Mike Wendland, chair of the Hill County Commission, and mailed to Alma Seidel, chair of the fair board. It asks for all pertinent documents concerning Sharp’s dismissal. Sharp was fired at an unannounced board meeting last week.

Seidel said she couldn’t speak with reporters before talking to Hill County Attorney Gina Dahl. She said Dahl told her it was OK to have the meeting without announcing it, a view that contradicted opinions from Mike Meloy, a Helena attorney who represents the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline, a group formed by newspapers and broadcasters including the Havre Daily News.

Wendland said he was not trying to keep information from the public. He said he learned most of what he knows about the case from a story in Tuesday’s Havre Daily News.