"He's just trying cover his tracks" said Anderson attorney Michael Hutchings. "David Thomas does not want e-mails of county and local government to be discovered because these e-mails often tell the true story of what's being done at taxpayer expense."

Anderson has filed suit, alleging racketeering and corruption and claiming that Summit County officials have demanded cash, gifts and donations to their favorite charities for zoning changes. County officials say Anderson Development is playing dirty to get higher-density housing it wants in Summit County.

Hutchings said Thomas' position on the GRAMA task force seems all too convenient, given that the documents Anderson is seeking would be more difficult to obtain under the proposed changes.

"He's going to benefit in a huge way," Hutchings said. "This at least ought to be disclosed."

Thomas said the allegations are unfounded. "Their intent, in my opinion, is they're trying to intimidate public officials. I think everybody knows what their tactics are."

Thomas said his e-mails are considered private under attorney-client privilege law and would be under the proposed changes. Also, Thomas said it is up to the entire task force to recommend the changes before the House and Senate committees consider any legislation.

Hutchings said his company has been trying to get e-mails Thomas has sent to federal officials and others outside the county, which Anderson claims are public under GRAMA.

Some changes would limit names, addresses and telephone numbers in government records to protect the privacy of citizens. Government entities could also charge "fair market value" for information if it is intended for commercial use. Public documents would also be limited to those "in connection with conduct of public business" and would exclude many e-mails and internal memos that aid in the creation of public policy.

News media attorney Jeff Hunt said some of the changes would make government less transparent.

"I very much believe that if these changes go through in their current form, they would be an extreme rollback on public access to government records," Hunt wrote in a letter sent to lawmakers Friday. "We're talking about some severe restrictions that are being proposed to limit public access records," Hunt told the Deseret Morning News.

Limiting records to those dealing with "public business," along with a list of exclusions, violates the spirit of open government, Hunt said. "The problem with that, we presume that if the government is owning and preparing records, it is presumed that they are conducting the public's business," he said.