State Auditor Brian Sonntag announced yesterday he is creating an Open Government Task Force with Attorney General RobMcKenna. The purpose of the new Task Forceis to study and make recommendations on the creation of anadministrative board to rule on complaints of violations regarding thestate's open government laws. The Task Force meetings are scheduled forOctober 5, 2009 and November 2, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at theAttorney General's Office in Olympia. Below is a list of the Task Force members:
Co-Chairs:
- Rob McKenna, Attorney General
- Brian Sonntag, State Auditor
- Tim Ford, Open Government Ombudsman for Attorney General's Office
- Paula Adams, Public Information and Records Officer for King County Department of Development and Environmental Services
- Jim Doherty, Legal Consultant, Municipal Research and Services Center
- Judy Endejan, Attorney, Graham and Dunn
- Ruth Gordon, County Clerk for Jefferson County
- Jerry Handfield, State Archivist for Secretary of State
- John Hendrickson, Kenmore City Council Councilmember
- Mary Hunt, Douglas County Commissioner District 3
- Chris Hurst, State Representative, 31st District (member of State Government Committee)
- Graham Johnson, (Executive Director of the Public Disclosure Commission 1974-1993)
- Lynn Kessler, State Representative, 24th District – Majority Leader
- Joel Kretz, State Representative, 7th District
- Mark Lindquist, Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney
- Louis Mitchell, Bremerton School Board of Directors
- Bob Morton, Senator, 7th District
- Shirley Nixon, Citizen Activist
- Toby Nixon, President Washington Coalition for Open Government
- Bob Partlow, Foster Parent Support and Recruitment for Department of Social and Health Services
- Althea Paulson, Kitsap Regional Library Board Member
- Kevin Phelps, Deputy County Executive & Executive Director of Operations & Infrastructure for Pierce County
- Craig Ritchie, Attorney for City of Sequim
- Rowland Thompson, Executive Director Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington
Here are additional details about the Open Government Task Force:
We [McKenna and Sonntag] created this Task Force to address growing concerns among governments and the public. State agencies and local governments face a logjam of citizen complaints, costly litigation over the PRA and the OPMA, and uncertainty regarding potential liability that may require payment of attorneys' fees, costs, and daily penalties. Citizens who are denied access to public records and public meetings have no choice other than to go to court, and lawsuits may take years to resolve and are costly. Going to court to enforce legal rights to access public records and public meetings is simply not an option for many citizens.
An efficient and inexpensive solution is needed to resolve complaints and provide greater access to public records and public meetings while reducing costs to governmental agencies and the public. Many ! states provide an independent administrative review process to resolve complaints without litigation. These states use administrative boards to offer services including mediation, dispute resolution, non-binding legal interpretations, investigation of potential violations, issuing final appealable rulings, offerings of legislative reform, and training public officials about their responsibilities under the law.
An efficient and inexpensive solution is needed to resolve complaints and provide greater access to public records and public meetings while reducing costs to governmental agencies and the public. Many ! states provide an independent administrative review process to resolve complaints without litigation. These states use administrative boards to offer services including mediation, dispute resolution, non-binding legal interpretations, investigation of potential violations, issuing final appealable rulings, offerings of legislative reform, and training public officials about their responsibilities under the law.
The Task Force may consider the pros and cons of the open government enforcement efforts in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.
