Archive for Government Transparency
Recent Stories for Government Transparency
Port Commissioner's Lawyer Argues Details of Recall Petition
Category: Recall · State: Washington · Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Port of Seattle Commissioner Pat Davis' defense against a recall petition in front of the state Supreme Court may hinge on a technicality. K&L Gates partner Suzanne Thomas told the court that Davis' signature on an Oct. 10, 2006, memo to former port Chief Executive Mic Dinsmore, extending his salary for up to one year after he retired, "was not based on a gift of funds but rather a transition process to keep Dinsmore in office until a successor was found." Justice James Johnson asked Thomas the question that recall petitioner Chris Clifford -- a teacher from Renton with a strong streak of open-government activism -- has been waiting to test for more than a year. "Isn't the jury the public, so don't you make that argument to the voters, not the court?" Johnson asked.
S.D. GOP Opposes Open Government Ballot Measure
Category: Government Transparency · State: South Dakota · Source: The Fargo Forum
Delegates to the Republican State Convention have approved a resolution urging voters to reject a ballot measure billed as an attempt to create a clean and open government. The resolution opposing the ballot measure passed on a strong voice vote after some delegates said the proposed law would prevent many reputable organizations from lobbying the Legislature or local government, would bar thousands of people from donating to political campaigns and might be unconstitutional. But supporters of the ballot measure argue it would clean up government by prohibiting taxpayer-funded lobbying, barring bureaucrats and contractors from trading campaign contributions for lucrative government contracts and requiring state government to create a searchable Internet site with information about government contracts.