Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner's administration sent letters to common councilors outlining a framework for changing the city's computer use policy. The majority of Syracuse common councilors sued the Miner administration for cutting off their Internet access after they refused to sign the administration’s computer use policy.
Councilors said the previous computer use policy would have given the Miner administration access to their emails, Internet browsing history and subject them to discipline if they violated the policy. According to Miner's office, the new framework gives the common council the ability to have their own email subdomain and to contract their network to an outside service provider. Syracuse City information technology staff would have no access to their records.
Mayor Stephanie Miner’s chief of staff Bill Ryan said he met with Councilor-at-Large Kathleen Joy on Friday and they agreed to parts of the framework. Elected officials cannot be terminated by the Miner administration for violating the computer use policy, but the Miner administration could still suspend or terminate computer use for excessive violations.
