LEADERS HAVE DUTY TO MEET IN OPEN All Edition

John Laabs is president of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and vice president of the Lake Mills School Board. ``Your Right to Know'' is a monthly column produced by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a statewide media group devoted to protecting Wisconsin's open reco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Capital times
Main Author Laabs, John
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Madison, Wis Madison Newspapers, Inc 19.03.1997
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Summary:John Laabs is president of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and vice president of the Lake Mills School Board. ``Your Right to Know'' is a monthly column produced by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a statewide media group devoted to protecting Wisconsin's open records and open meetings laws. Most local officials in Wisconsin, I believe, are sound practitioners of open government. When they do err, it's most often in these few areas: Overusing the exemptions that allow for closed sessions, allowing discussion in these sessions to stray to other topics, and addressing public business in settings that are removed from the public's purview. It all starts with open meetings. Wisconsin's open meetings law requires local government officials to conduct most of the public's business in public. Notices are posted and sent to local media outlets. Meetings are held in accessible places, many of them televised on local cable access channels. Agendas are posted and business is approached with some sense of order.
ISSN:0749-4068