Opinion - Aug. 19, 2010

Open Public Meetings Act: As basic as speed limits.

The Open Public Meetings Act came about because people were getting shut out of government and the public decision-making process. The act was intended to stop secret confabs and closed-door deal making.

The law was enacted in 1971. One would think it was just recently slipped over on government. Resistance to it has been stiff, and many government officials still feel it is an unnecessary complication to governance.

Fortunately, the electorate’s sensitivity to abuses of the OPMA has increased. More and more citizens are crying “foul” when co...