A group of residents concerned about the impact of a local park redevelopment, a school board member who blew the whistle on his colleagues for being too secretive, and a longtime city official who has made a habit of accessibility are among the winners in this year’s Openness Awards, or Opees, bestowed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.
Author Archives: Bill Lueders
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Wisconsin taxpayers still paying for election fraud probe records fights
Many people in Wisconsin are under the impression that the disastrous probe into the state’s 2020 presidential election conducted by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman is over, as are its costs to taxpayers. They’re wrong.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: When transparency is treated with contempt
Most of the time, public officials in Wisconsin obey the state’s openness laws. Sometimes, they need a little prodding from the courts. But the recent conduct of Robin Vos and Michael Gableman is something altogether new, and deeply disturbing.
Posted inNews & Announcements, News about Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council names ‘Opee’ winners
The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council announces the winners in this year’s Openness Awards, or ‘Opees.’ They will be
presented at the Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, on Thursday,
April 21. Register here.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Lawmakers seek to keep their misconduct secret
Staush Gruszynski, a former state Assembly representative from Green Bay, is the subject of an ongoing legal battle over records regarding his sexual harassment of a female staffer.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Record location fees invite abuses
A member of the public or representative of the press will file a request under Wisconsin’s open records law, which applies to all state and local government entities. But instead of records, the requester gets a bill.
Posted inOpinion
The ‘Opees’ in the age of COVID-19
For the 15th consecutive year, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is presenting its Openness in Government Awards, or Opees, recognizing outstanding achievement in the cause of transparency. Several of this years’ awards are related to the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced wholesale changes in how government officials conduct the public’s business. All are predicated on upholding the public’s right to know.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: State must do more to promote openness
Last January, a person involved in local emergency management asked the Office of Open Government whether emergency preparedness coalitions run by the Wisconsin DHS are subject to the state’s open meetings and open records laws. The answer is yes — but arriving at this answer took nearly a year, which should not have happened.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Raise the bar on police transparency
The police killings of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks and Breonna Taylor, among others, as well as video footage of police using excessive force in dealing with protesters, have underscored the need for changes in policing, including greater access to disciplinary records.
It is time to break down some of the barriers that prevent the public from getting a full and true picture of how police perform — sometimes laudable, sometimes not — and how government agencies respond to allegations of misconduct.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Public bodies find new ways to meet
Believe it or not, this has been a relatively quiet time on the open government front. In my role with the WFOIC, I often field calls from reporters and citizens regarding the problems they are experiencing getting access to public meetings and records.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Evers can do better on openness
Early in his administration, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was asked to produce a letter he’d gotten from departing Gov. Scott Walker, during the transition. He initially refused, claiming it was a “purely personal” communication outside of the reach of the state’s open records law.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Scrutinize candidates on openness
Perhaps no other political issue receives so little attention, relative to its importance, as open government. Elections come and go without candidates addressing this fundamental tenet of a democratic society. That’s because virtually all candidates, when asked, will say they are big fans of transparency. It’s an easy position to take, a harder one to […]