Sunshine by candlelight
Gov. Mark Gordon was caught red-handed, and red-faced, withholding information at a transparency luncheon. He’d failed to disclose his birthday.
sunshine week
Rebooting Transparency
The promise of the developing transparency movement in this country is greater accountability of our elected officials. Embedded in that promise is a hope for more openness, greater efficiency, and accountability in how lawmakers and government officials care for the public's interests and spend taxpayer money, and combat corruption. When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis made his famous statement—"sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants"—in 1913, he was focused on the corrupting influence of major corporations and monopolies in all aspects of American life.
Let the sun shine in
Are there state, federal or local public officials who aren't following the law and providing you with the documents you've requested? Do you have a great public document you'd like to share? Do you have a story about how access to public records helped you or others in your community tackle a tough public policy issue? Are their records not available under the law that you'd like to see opened for review?
Send your public records ideas, gripes, concerns and personal stories to [email protected], and maybe we'll make one of them the focus of a feature story for Sunshine Week next year — if not sooner.