This week is Sunshine Week 2011 which concentrates on openness in government. We at the Gateway News are asking that Adams County , Commerce City and Brighton governments, as well as several special districts, make a formal proclamation along with some of your specific actions and plans to enhance the public’s right to know. We realize that city councils are not meeting this week due to the NLC in Washington DC , so we ask that you address this at your very next meeting. Transparency is an issue to be addressed all year long. One specific way that all of you can assist the public is by using your facebook, twitter, press releases and websites to inform citizens about meetings and public hearings as printed notices in newspapers are very often not even printed in newspapers that are circulated locally and not seen and not read by the general public. We are asking for more than just broad statements of support for greater transparency but specific pledges and plans of action to enhance the public’s right to know. Please identify specific improvements in your own organization and implement them.
We would like to thank Commerce City for following the Gateway News lead by taking over live streaming of your city council meetings, we would like to thank Adams County for making audio available of their meetings and we would especially like to give a great big thanks to Brighton and Jodie Carroll for not only live streaming and Channel 8 coverage of their meetings but for having continual biweekly and monthly face to face meetings directly with your city manager and the weekly city manager update that is emailed to the press every week without fail. I think Brighton has shown itself to be the leader in governmental transparency and hope that others will follow suit.
Proposed proclamation CLICK HERE
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