[LWVNM Action] Sunshine Week Oped

[Richard Mason]

*Sunshine Week is time to celebrate right to know*

*By *Melanie J. Majors / New Mexico Foundation For Open Government

*Friday, March 20th, 2020 at 12:02am – Albuquerque Journal*

Democracy depends on a transparent government, yet despite the New Mexico
Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and the Open Meetings Act (OMA) –
laws ensuring the public’s right to learn about their government through
access to public records and public meetings – some government officials
still regularly ignore the law.

As the nation celebrates Sunshine Week (March 15-21), a national initiative
to educate the public about the importance of open government and the
dangers of excessive secrecy, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government
(FOG) wants every New Mexican to remember that open, accountable government
is the cornerstone of our democracy.

The Sunshine Week celebration coincides with the birthday of James Madison,
fourth president of the United States and a father of the U.S.
Constitution. Madison was a key proponent of the Bill of Rights and the
five rights the First Amendment protects – speech, press, assembly,
religion and petition of our government.

One of the most important ideas that underpin the First Amendment is the
ability to criticize the government and our public officials. How can we
criticize or evaluate government actions if we don’t have access to
meetings or records?

In the legislative session that just ended, one of the most vital pieces of
business was enacted mostly behind closed doors — the creation of the
state’s budget — the taxpayer’s money.

To quote the Senate and House joint rules book, “There is no more important
task for the Legislature than to devise a budget and allocate the state’s
resources.”

Yet, historically many of those budgetary meetings have occurred behind
closed doors, shutting out not only the public but even legislators from
the process. One representative pointed out that influential and top-secret
meetings sometimes even exclude other finance committee members.

This is just one example of secrecy. Why is it necessary? Lawmakers and
elected officials should be eager, not afraid, to have their constituents
view the hard choices that need to be made among competing interests.
Openness may breed disappointment about the final decision, but it also
breeds trust in government and the democratic process.

Tax dollars fund government and New Mexicans have the right to see what
city, county, school, village and state officials see. Public documents are
the public’s business – from court files to police reports to lists of
those who apply for fishing licenses. And, New Mexicans have the right to
attend public meetings, even the ones classified as workshops or retreats.

This Sunshine Week, pledge to commit to letting the sun in and remind
public officials to be respectful of IPRA and OMA. Keep pushing for more
access to records, meetings and legislative committees. Consider joining
FOG in our mission of protecting your right to know. Help us address your
issues or questions when trying to access information from a governmental
entity. Let us know if you have concerns about government and join us in
making sure everyone follows our state’s transparency laws, among the
strongest in the nation.

Catch some sunlight this week and together, we can bring 365 days of
sunshine to New Mexico. Open government is good government.

*Melanie J. Majors is executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for
Open Government, an educational, nonprofit organization founded in 1989
that advocates for the rights to inspect public records and attend public
meetings.*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mailman.swcp.com/pipermail/action/attachments/20200321/3aae3ffa/attachment.html>