Massachusetts transparency headlines
From Sunshine Review
This article is a list of transparency related news from Massachusetts.
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| Report It • | The Good • | The Bad • | The Ugly | |
"Records from the meetings of the city’s superintendent screening committee make no mention of the voting process used to pick finalists.
No vote tallies are recorded in the records, and no specific details are included about the selection process.
The records consist of just two pages summarizing a total of four meetings.
'I think it’s vague at best,' said School Committee Vice-Chairman Richard Bath, referring to the records. 'It is not the type of minutes I’m used to getting.'"
"A group of residents, citing concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars for Lincoln’s publicly funded preschool program, have called upon the school administration to release information related to the operation of the Lincoln Preschool.
Julie Lynch collected more than 50 signatures on a petition requesting all documents related to the financing of the public preschool. Dissatisfied with the lack of a response from the School Committee, Lynch took her inquiry one step further last month, submitting a formal request through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)."
"The emails that derailed state Sen. Marian Walsh's bid for a high-paying state authority job saw the light of day only because of the Massachusetts Public Records Law. It was one of those rare instances where transparency trumped politics as usual, where a law designed to reveal the inner workings of government actually worked.
The state's Public Records Law is generally weak and ineffective. Vast swaths of state government are exempt from the law and many documents are shielded from its reach by a growing list of legislatively approved exceptions. Many government officials ignore the law and others subvert it by improperly withholding documents or charging excessive fees to produce information. Which is why the Walsh case is so refreshing."
"It’s a paradox: in a state that prides itself on intellectual capital, Massachusetts ranks 38th out of 50 states when it comes to having online accessibility to public records, according to a national survey released Sunday.
Bits of information such as audit reports, fake business name registrations, consumer complaints, bridge inspection safety reports, child care center inspection reports, hospital inspection reports, school bus inspections, school inspections, safety records, gas pump overcharge records, and death certificates are not archived on the state’s Web site, according to the survey."
"If, as a taxpayer, you're paying to have death certificates recorded by the state, school buses inspected for safety, government agencies audited for accurate record keeping and proper oversight of highway projects and contracts, should you have to pay - again - to see those records online? Probably not, but in many cases you do.
This year's Sunshine Week public records project kicks off in the Sunday Daily News and in hundreds of newspapers across the country.
For the national piece of this project our reporters checked the state Web site to see if 20 categories of information were available, for free, online. Categories included such things as statewide school test results (yes, for Massachusetts and 48 other states); audits of state commissions and agencies (no for Massachusetts but yes for 45 states); and bridge inspection and safety reports (no for Massachusetts but yes for 24 other states)."
"After the state’s public records division ordered Cambridge Public Schools to nix its $14,000 charge for public information, the school district now says it will cost a total of $14.21 for a complete list of students.
The Chronicle originally made the request in 2007 using the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act to gain access to a list of Cambridge Public School students that would be used for informational purposes, not for publication.
"We're pleased that the public's right to know prevailed," said Greg Reibman, the Chronicle's editor in chief. The Chronicle plans to pay the fee."
"The Falmouth High School Building Committee and Board of Selectmen have approved an agreement with the general contractor of the stalled Falmouth High building project, but the town's attorney refused yesterday to release the new contract.
The $86 million renovation and addition is more than two years behind schedule and $19 million over budget.
After discussing the terms with TLT Construction Corp. behind closed doors in executive session yesterday morning, selectmen voted 4-0 in open session to approve the agreement. But Frank Duffy, the town's attorney, said the document "still had more processing" to be done and told reporters they must file a public records request to see the agreement."
"The state’s public records division ordered Cambridge Public Schools to nix its $14,000 charge for public information, saying the school district should be charging a reasonable rate for a complete list of students.
The Chronicle originally made the request in 2007 using the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act to gain access to a list of Cambridge Public School students that would be used for informational purposes, not for publication.
“You are hereby ordered to provide [the Chronicle] with a revised written, good faith estimate which reflects the actual costs of providing the names of the students whose parents have consented to release of ‘directory information,” Supervisor of Public Records Alan Cote wrote in a Feb. 12 letter."
"The Massachusetts Public Records Law gives government officials too many ways to withhold information. When a citizen requests an official record, the agency in question is required to answer the request within 10 days. But agencies sometimes respond slowly, demand exorbitant fees, improperly claim one of the numerous exemptions in the law, or just blow off the request.
Recently, at a State House forum hosted by CommonWealth magazine, Representative Antonio Cabral of New Bedford recalled asking a district attorney for figures on money raised from drug forfeitures. The request was turned down, he said, on the grounds that the Public Records Law exempts information related to criminal investigations. The argument was bogus; releasing general budget information doesn't compromise any investigation."
"Boy, oh boy. What a waste of time and money.
Last Thursday, while temperatures plunged outside, there was enough hot air to float a dirigible in Room 17 of Worcester Superior Court as lawyers for this newspaper and the city argued over a public records case that never should have seen the inside of a courtroom.
Any attempt on my part to be objective would be disingenuous here, so let me note upfront that I’m a journalist and I work for the T&G, so of course I believe firmly that the city’s lawyers are — how can I put this in diplomatic legal jargon? — flesh-eating jackals."
