Let the sun shine on our government / March 16, 2007 column by Lisa Brouillette
March 16, 2007 column by Lisa Brouillette: Let the sun shine on our government
(first published in the Opelika-Auburn News, March 16, 2007)
Let the sun shine on our government
Happy Sunshine Week to you!
What? You’ve not received any “Sunshine Week” greeting cards? No “Sunshine Week” bouquets decorated with miniature public documents have been delivered? No invites to “Open Records” parties? Well, don’t let that fool you. Sunshine Week’s commemoration of our open meetings & open records laws deserves all that and more.
Is our public access to information all that important? Oh yes. Without it the newspaper you’re reading right now wouldn’t be able to tell you what your public officials are doing, where and how your tax money is being spent, what crimes are being committed in your neighborhood. You wouldn’t be able to find out who donated to your local politician’s campaign, or who received a lucrative government contract and whether it was granted by an open bid or a hidden back-door deal.
Our open meetings and open records laws apply equally to everyone; they’re not just available to the media. Anyone can use our Sunshine Laws to access public documents and information, to gain entrance to public meetings.
Often our actions speak loudest at the local level, where we have the most chance to influence our government and its policies. And that’s where the average person most often uses our Sunshine Laws.
Next time you read a news account of the city council or walk into a school board meeting, think about what it would be like if the reporter’s words were blacked out, if the meeting room door was barred.
Then send someone a “Sunshine Week” card. Celebrate the laws that keep you from being locked out and in the dark.
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Our creeks and wildlife don’t obey political boundaries or jurisdictions. They don’t see lines drawn on a map. Our approaches to protecting them need to take that into account.
Recently three local environmental groups – Save our Saugahatchee (SOS), Friends of Chewacla & Uphapee Creek (ChewUp) and Alabama Water Watch (AWW) – shared data and concerns about the condition of our local creeks.
In itself that’s not surprising, as these groups often combine forces to study and improve our local environment. (To see the results of the water quality monitoring being done by these groups, go to https://aww.auburn.edu/.)
What was surprising, and positive, is that they were joined by representatives from the city of Auburn’s Water Resources Management Dept, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Alabama Dept of Environmental Management (ADEM). Also attending was Dr. Laurel Gardner, a longtime Auburn resident and veterinarian, who now serves as a member of the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, which oversees ADEM.
How refreshing to hear these folks share information and work towards identifying not just problems, but also solutions. Their efforts should be applauded and encouraged.
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