SUNSHINE WEEK
The following statement was presented by Arlene Fried, Co-founder of Park Watch, at the Park Board meeting on March 19, 2008, during Open Time:
SUNSHINE WEEK AND DATA PRACTICES
This is Sunshine Week, a national initiative focusing on government transparency and accountability, as well as Freedom of Information. The first point I want to make is that we live in a democracy and it is every citizen’s right to access government information. Here in Minnesota, the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act is the tool we use to gain access to local government information. Compliance with the Data Practices Act is not discretionary, but mandatory.
Government bodies are required by law to have a process for responding to citizen requests for information; and this process needs to be built into government budgets. The Data Practices Act is regarded by most government bodies as a customer service function. Government bodies can not eliminate their data request function in order to divert the funds elsewhere as Superintendent Gurban and Commissioners Olson and Kummer have suggested.
Because of the Data Practices Act, Park Watch has been able to uncover information that had been withheld from the public and the commissioners; for example, the detailed plans for an unapproved and unauthorized multimillion dollar event center at Parade as well as extensive plans for a $290,000 unapproved and unauthorized new road at Parade.
It was Park Watch’s efforts that brought the road—and the unauthorized fundraising plans for the unapproved event center—to the attention of some of the Park Board commissioners.
My second point is to clarify the confusion over the cost of the recently created and long overdue Data Practices position. At the December 5, 2007, Park Board meeting, former Park Board President Jon Olson stated that “$100,000 of taxpayers’ dollars” were being spent because of Data Practices requests. Unfortunately, Commissioner Olson’s statement was incorrect.
Sunshine Week is a most appropriate time to review this subject. Yes, there is a figure of $88,686 in the 2008 budget for a permanent, full time Data Practices position. However, the position currently is only part time and temporary. The individual is working only three days a week and earning substantially less than the budgeted figure of $88,686. Last year she earned $16,360 and no benefits. This year she is earning $700 a week and no benefits. My mathematical calculations are 52 weeks times $700 equals $36,400, which is scarcely $100,000.
In closing, I want to reinforce the importance of the Data Practices Act; and I want to stress that citizens need to understand that it is okay to use it to access government information. And no government official should be questioning or criticizing any citizen who uses the Data Practices Act.
Arlene Fried
Co-founder of Park Watch