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.
Category: Opinion
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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: Here’s to a more transparent 2023
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council vice president Christa Westerberg says all levels of government in Wisconsin should be more transparent and open in 2023.
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Prison’s holiday card market
Loved ones get greeting cards, not our time, during holidays
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Prehn records fight seeks accountability
More than a year and a half after the expiration of his term, Dr. Frederick Prehn continues to occupy a seat on the Natural Resources Board, which sets policy for the state Department of Natural Resources.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Don’t pay too much for that photocopy!
If you request paper records and a government custodian tries to charge you 25 cents per page, push back.
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Absentee ballots don’t give enough space for witness address
Frank Lowry writes that absentee ballots do not provide enough room for the witness to record their complete address.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Wisconsin AG candidates weigh in on transparency
Josh Kaul and Eric Toney are miles apart on many issues, but when it comes to open government, the candidates vying for Wisconsin attorney general in the Nov. 8 election agree: more money is needed to handle enforcement of the state’s transparency laws.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Outsiders can’t block records access
Wisconsin’s open records law is most often used by requesters seeking to obtain records from a government agency. But occasionally it works in reverse, allowing someone to block the release of records to a requester.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Court ruling kneecaps records law
In July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared that public records plaintiffs “prevail” only if a judge orders the records to be released. In cases where the public official gets sued and has a change of heart, as often happens, there is no longer a clear path to fee recovery.
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 inOpinion
Opinion: Former Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office employee to county leaders — Stop political ‘damage control,’ investigate ‘toxic’ work environment
Kurt Karbusicky, a longtime Dane County death investigator, says the medical examiner’s office is plagued by bullying and mismanagement.