Pioneer Press Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:42:30 -0600
Accountable government requires accessible information
...At the end of each election cycle, citizens are asked to make a judgment on the decisions and direction taken by those in power. Elections are the ultimate way that citizens hold their government accountable. The Founding Fathers, particularly Jefferson and Madison, expected that those judgments would be made by a well-informed citizenry. That was a reasonable expectation when citizens often had direct contact with elected and other government officials. But the rise of physical and bureaucratic distance from most governments makes the process of holding elected and other government officials accountable more problematic. ... In Minnesota, we have a statute that combines freedom of information and fair information practices principles. Officially, it has the less-than-glamorous name "Minnesota Government Data Practices Act."
[[keywords: Legal;Officials;Maplewood;Metro;]]
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