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County Hides Texts in Legal Battle | Des Moines News
Polk County is locked in a legal showdown over text messages tied to the firing of senior employee Tom Alessio Jr., as the Des Moines Register seeks access for an investigation. The county argues the texts—sent from a county phone to a personal device—are confidential personnel records and shouldn’t be released, claiming they’re part of an internal probe and that some were only obtained voluntarily. But this battle pits transparency against privacy, raising alarms that such secrecy could chill employee cooperation and stifle public accountability. With Alessio’s former manager also facing…
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