Sunshine Week: What do we have a right to know?

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Jeanne LeFlore

March 19, 2011

By Jeanne LeFlore Staff Writer The McAlester News-Capital Sat Mar 19, 2011, 02:22 PM CDT

McALESTER — When it comes to open meetings and open records, what do we have the right to know? For example, did you know that city council meetings must be held at specified times and places that are convenient to the public? Or what about those mysterious executive sessions at board meetings? Did you know that the all the items of business and proposes of the executive session must be noted on the agenda? Did you know that you do not have to give a reason for requesting a public record and that the most they can charge you is a quarter? Of course there are exceptions to some of the rules, which is why it is important to know your rights according to the Freedom of Information Act.

March 12, at the FOI Oklahoma 2011 Sunshine Conference at the Oklahoman Tower in Oklahoma City, I found all the answers.

Sunshine laws are statutes that mandate that meetings of governmental agencies and departments be open to the public at large. Through Sunshine laws, administrative agencies are required to do their work in public, and as a result, the process is sometimes called "government in the sunshine." That sounds good and it is.

For example, in the small city where I live, in an effort to bring in revenue, the city council recently voted to raise the rates across the board for water, trash and sewer, and then they turned around and approved a brand new laptop computer for a city employee who doesn’t have Internet access. If it wasn’t for the Open Meeting Act, we wouldn’t know that happened or, more importantly, be able to question why.

At the conference I was thrilled to meet and listen to real freedom fighters from right here in Oklahoma. Citizens are standing up for their rights by filing suit against cities like Bartlesville and Stillwater for violating the FOI laws. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your city hall but it’s important that all government entities follow the law. And guess what? It’s up to us to make sure they do.

The executive director of the New York State Committee on Open Government offered advice on creating a state agency that Oklahomans can go to for help when officials wrongly withhold records or restrict access to open meetings.

Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, explained his bill requiring the Legislature to comply with the Open Records an Open Meeting laws and discussed other efforts to make the legislature more transparent. I love that word, transparent. Merriam- Webster defines transparent as “free from pretense or deceit.” I am all for that and if I know my rights then I know if the government is being transparent.

The most important thing that I have learned by attending this conference is that unless we as citizens attend public meetings and know our rights ,the freedom of information we have means nothing. Go to your next city council, hospital board or school board meeting. Know your rights and speak up!

James Madison the father of our Constitution said “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.”

Jeanne LeFlore is a staff writer for the McAlester News-Capital. Contact her at jleflore@mcalesternews.com.

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