[BCNnet] Info on access to public meetings and docs
Donald R. Dann
donniebird@yahoo.com
Tue, 21 Dec 2004 07:47:38 -0700
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It should only happen at the federal level - dream on.
Donald R. Dann
Highland Park/Lake County
_____
From: bcnnet-admin@ece.iit.edu [mailto:bcnnet-admin@ece.iit.edu] On Behalf
Of Randi Doeker - Chicago
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2004 6:21 AM
To: BCNnet@ece.iit.edu
Subject: [BCNnet] Info on access to public meetings and docs
This is good info for any activists.
Randi Doeker
Chicago
_____
From: Benjamin Cox [mailto:benjamin@fotfp.org]
Sent: Monday, December 20, 2004 6:47 PM
To: fpfriends@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [fpfriends] FW: Check out Lawyer to help citizens shine light on
government
FYI.
Benjamin Cox
Executive Director
Friends of the Forest Preserves
5225 Old Orchard Road, Suite 37
Skokie, IL 60077
o. (847) 967-0796
c. (773) 398-1178
>From the Daily Southtown:
Click <http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/columns/kadner/x19-pkd4.htm>
here: Lawyer to help citizens shine light on government
Lawyer to help citizens shine light on government
Sunday, December 19, 2004
It may be the biggest step toward government accountability in the state's
history.Beginning Monday, any citizen who questions a secret meeting of
elected officials, or is refused access to a public document, can now pick
up the phone and ask a lawyer in the Illinois attorney general's office to
investigate the situation.
Fulfilling a pledge she made while running for office in 2002 to make
enforcement of the state's sunshine laws a top priority, Illinois Attorney
General Lisa Madigan has created the position of public access counselor.The
public access counselor will be an attorney whose primary job will be to
help ordinary citizens frustrated by their government's lack of openness.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Southtown, Madigan said that she
has chosen Terry Mutchler, a lawyer on the attorney general's staff since
December 2003 and former investigative journalist for the Associated Press,
to become the state's first public access counselor. Mutchler, 39, said she
wants to be the public's ombudsman with government officials when people
have questions about government compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings
Act or Freedom of Information Act. Madigan said it is her belief that "open
government is the cornerstone of democracy" and that in her role as attorney
general she wants to "get citizens the information they are entitled to
under the law.
"Following her election, Madigan created a working group that included the
Chicago Headline Club, Illinois Municipal League, Illinois Press
Association, mayors and other interested parties to examine ways of
improving the state's sunshine laws.Although the working group disagreed on
most issues, it unanimously urged Madigan to create the office of public
access counselor, modeled after a similar post in Indiana.Although the
Illinois attorney general always had an expert on staff to answer questions
about the Open Meetings Act for some elected officials - and in rare cases
the news media - calls and inquiries from ordinary citizens were ignored or
referred to a disinterested county state's attorney.Sometimes citizens were
told to hire a private attorney and sue their municipality.Few individuals
had the means or desire to pursue that course of action. Even elected
officials, especially those that were seen as mavericks on village and
school boards, discovered they couldn't get answers from the attorney
general's office when denied access to public documents such as a government
budget.
"We will answer questions and investigate complaints from elected officials,
the news media, private citizens, anyone in the state who has a question
about the Open Meetings Act or Freedom of Information Act," said Mutchler,
who has already spent much of the last year intervening in disputes over
those laws."Often, these matters can be resolved by picking up the phone and
asking the people involved what's going on. Sometimes, government officials
simply don't understand the law. Once they do understand what the law
requires, they are usually anxious to comply."If a phone call doesn't
straighten out the problem, Mutchler will write a letter notifying the
offending government agency that it is in apparent violation of the law.
In Indiana, the public access counselor's office received 2,704 complaints
and inquiries from July 1, 2003 to June 30,2004.Of those calls, 1,337 came
from the public, 1,004 from government officials and 367 from the news
media.Illinois sunshine laws are often referred to as some of the weakest in
the nation by critics.The main problem is that the Freedom of Information
Act and Open Meetings Act lack penalties with teeth.News media organizations
and citizen watchdog groups believe that a public access counselor, by
documenting complaints and unresolved problems, will ultimately be able to
make a case for improving the existing laws and toughening the enforcement
provisions.Mutchler said educating the public and elected officials about
the laws will also be one of her office's top priorities.She plans to hold
seminars throughout the state for elected officials, the news media and
citizens' groups.It has been said that sunlight is the best antiseptic in a
political culture where corruption grows unabated in darkened rooms.Perhaps
some day it will also be said that in mid-December 2004, Illinois had one of
the sunniest days in its bleak history.
Anyone wishing to contact the attorney general's office with a complaint
about the state's sunshine laws can call (217) 524-1503.Terry Mutchler may
also be reached by e-mail at: tmutchler@atg.state.il.us.
Phil Kadner may be reached at pkadner@dailysouthtown.com or (708) 633-6787.C
2004 Associated Press - All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
.
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<div class=3DSection1>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>It should only happen at the =
federal level
– dream on. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
14.0pt'>Donald R. Dann</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
14.0pt'>Highland Park/Lake County </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D4 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> </span></font></p>
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<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font =
size=3D2
face=3DTahoma><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
bcnnet-admin@ece.iit.edu [mailto:bcnnet-admin@ece.iit.edu] <b><span
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Randi Doeker - =
Chicago<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, December =
21, 2004
6:21 AM<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> =
BCNnet@ece.iit.edu<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [BCNnet] Info on =
access
to public meetings and docs</span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>This is good info for any =
activists.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Randi Doeker</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Chicago</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<div class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dcenter style=3D'text-align:center'><font =
size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=3D2 width=3D"100%" align=3Dcenter tabindex=3D-1>
</span></font></div>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font =
size=3D2
face=3DTahoma><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> =
Benjamin Cox
[mailto:benjamin@fotfp.org] <br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Monday, December =
20, 2004
6:47 PM<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> =
fpfriends@yahoogroups.com<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [fpfriends] FW: =
Check out
Lawyer to help citizens shine light on government</span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>FYI.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Benjamin Cox</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Executive Director</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Friends of the Forest Preserves</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>5225 Old Orchard Road, Suite 37</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Skokie</span></font><font size=3D2 =
face=3DTahoma><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>, IL =
60077</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>o. (847) 967-0796</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DTahoma><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>c. (773) 398-1178</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial PTSIZE=3D10><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>From the Daily Southtown: <br>
<br>
<a =
href=3D"http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/columns/kadner/x19-pkd4.h=
tm">Click
here: Lawyer to help citizens shine light on government
&=
nbsp; </a>
<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Lawyer to help citizens shine light =
on
government <br>
<br>
<i><font color=3D"#800040" PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=3DSANSSERIF =
BACK=3D"#ffffff"><span
style=3D'color:#800040;background:white;font-style:italic'>Sunday, =
December 19,
200</span></font><font color=3Dnavy><span =
style=3D'color:navy;background:white'>4</span></font></i></span></b></spa=
n></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><i><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white;
font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'> </span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;background:white'>It may be the =
biggest step
toward government accountability in the state's history.Beginning =
Monday, any
citizen who questions a secret meeting of elected officials, or is =
refused
access to a public document, can now pick up the phone and ask a lawyer =
in the Illinois attorney general's office to investigate the =
situation.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white'> </span></font=
></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;background:white'>Fulfilling a =
pledge she
made while running for office in 2002 to make enforcement of the state's
sunshine laws a top priority, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has
created the position of public access counselor.The public access =
counselor
will be an attorney whose primary job will be to help ordinary citizens
frustrated by their government's lack of openness.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white'> </span></font=
></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;background:white'>In an exclusive
interview with the Daily Southtown, Madigan said that she has chosen =
Terry Mutchler,
a lawyer on the attorney general's staff since December 2003 and former
investigative journalist for the Associated Press, to become the state's =
first
public access counselor.</span></font><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white'>=
</span></font><font
size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black;background:white'>Mutchler, 39, said she wants to be the =
public's
ombudsman with government officials when people have questions about =
government
compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act or Freedom of Information =
Act.</span></font><font
size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy;background:white'> </span></font><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
background:white'>Madigan said it is her belief that "open =
government is
the cornerstone of democracy" and that in her role as attorney =
general she
wants to "get citizens the information they are entitled to under =
the law.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white'> </span></font=
></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;background:white'>"Following =
her
election, Madigan created a working group that included the Chicago =
Headline
Club, Illinois Municipal League, Illinois Press Association, mayors and =
other
interested parties to examine ways of improving the state's sunshine
laws.Although the working group disagreed on most issues, it unanimously =
urged
Madigan to create the office of public access counselor, modeled after a
similar post in Indiana.Although the Illinois attorney general always =
had an
expert on staff to answer questions about the Open Meetings Act for some
elected officials — and in rare cases the news media — calls =
and
inquiries from ordinary citizens were ignored or referred to a =
disinterested
county state's attorney.Sometimes citizens were told to hire a private =
attorney
and sue their municipality.Few individuals had the means or desire to =
pursue
that course of action.</span></font><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white'>=
</span></font><font
size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black;background:white'>Even elected officials, especially those =
that
were seen as mavericks on village and school boards, discovered they =
couldn't
get answers from the attorney general's office when denied access to =
public
documents such as a government budget.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white'> </span></font=
></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;background:white'>"We will =
answer
questions and investigate complaints from elected officials, the news =
media, private
citizens, anyone in the state who has a question about the Open Meetings =
Act or
Freedom of Information Act," said Mutchler, who has already spent =
much of
the last year intervening in disputes over those laws."Often, these
matters can be resolved by picking up the phone and asking the people =
involved
what's going on. Sometimes, government officials simply don't understand =
the
law. Once they do understand what the law requires, they are usually =
anxious to
comply."If a phone call doesn't straighten out the problem, =
Mutchler will
write a letter notifying the offending government agency that it is in =
apparent
violation of the law.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white'> </span></font=
></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;background:white'>In Indiana, the =
public
access counselor's office received 2,704 complaints and inquiries from =
July 1,
2003 to June 30,2004.Of those calls, 1,337 came from the public, 1,004 =
from
government officials and 367 from the news media.Illinois sunshine laws =
are
often referred to as some of the weakest in the nation by critics.The =
main
problem is that the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act =
lack
penalties with teeth.News media organizations and citizen watchdog =
groups
believe that a public access counselor, by documenting complaints and
unresolved problems, will ultimately be able to make a case for =
improving the
existing laws and toughening the enforcement provisions.Mutchler said =
educating
the public and elected officials about the laws will also be one of her
office's top priorities.She plans to hold seminars throughout the state =
for
elected officials, the news media and citizens' groups.It has been said =
that
sunlight is the best antiseptic in a political culture where corruption =
grows
unabated in darkened rooms.Perhaps some day it will also be said that in
mid-December 2004, Illinois had one of the sunniest days in its bleak =
history.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><i><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white;
font-style:italic'> </span></font></i></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><i><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;background:white;=
font-style:italic'>Anyone wishing to contact the attorney general's =
office with
a complaint about the state's sunshine laws can call (217) =
524-1503.Terry
Mutchler may also be reached by e-mail at: <a
href=3D"mailto:tmutchler@atg.state.il.us">tmutchler@atg.state.il.us</a>.<=
/span></font></i></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><i><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;background:white;
font-style:italic'> </span></font></i></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.25in'><i><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
background:white;font-style:italic'>Phil Kadner may be reached at
pkadner@dailysouthtown.com or (708) 633-6787.© 2004 Associated =
Press
— All rights reserved. This material may not be published, =
broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.</span></font></i><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
background:white'> <br>
<br>
</span></font><font size=3D2 face=3D"Courier New"><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New"'>. </span></font></p>
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