"Sunshine" -- transparency -- is the very stuff upon which our trust in government rests. Starting today, our blog will be posting all week about Sunshine Week as it pertains specifically to Concord . Sunshine Week is a national initiative about the importance of open government and freedom of information. In Massachusetts, the equivalent to the Federal Freedom of Information Act is called the Public Records Law, and it applies to both the Commonwealth and to all municipal governments.
Keep in mind that the articles we'll be publishing are not intended to be personal or aimed at any individuals' performance. The problems we'll be discussing exist within our overarching system.
The Role of the Government, Ordinary Citizens
We offer the following opening to the topic -- one that has gained fresh relevance and vitality starting on the very first day of President Obama's administration. He declared that:
...[T]he way to make government responsible is to hold it accountable. And the way to make government accountable is make it transparent so that the American people can know exactly what decisions are being made, how they're being made, and whether their interests are being well served...Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.However, government transparency doesn't happen by itself; it requires ordinary citizens' involvement. One way is to use our "Sunshine Laws" -- they are our right to exercise. John Gardner, founder of Common Cause said:
The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can.
