Just in case you are a public official who wants to obey the laws about Freedom of Information and Open Meetings and, maybe, especially, if you are one who doesn’t, a free seminar will be conducted by McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Thursday night at 7.
Citizens can come, too, of course. You can learn how few rights you have and how hard it is to pry information out of a tax district that says,
“Tough break.
“We won’t tell you.
“Sue us.”
Some even pay an attorney to write such a letter.
The free meeting will be held at McHenry County College’s auditorium and this year does not conflict with a meeting of the MCC Board, whose members most assuredly need to be reminded they don’t have to keep things like why they decided to build a minor league baseball stadium and why they think they got the best price on land they sold for a mega-broadcast aerial top secret, hush, hush.
Those of us who think the public is smart enough to deal with just about anything a local taxing district does can only hope the current Illinois General Assembly places some personal penalties on those who violate the two transparency laws.
But, won’t hold my breath waiting.
Bianchi’s press release is below:
STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE SPONSORS OPEN MEETINGS ACT AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT SEMINARLouis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, wishes to remind Elected or Appointed Public Officials that a free seminar will be conducted May 14, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the McHenry County College Auditorium. This seminar is sponsored by the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office and McHenry County College and will include speakers from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office to provide information regarding the Illinois Open Meetings Act as well as the Freedom of Information Act.
This seminar will provide particularly useful information for both newly elected officials, incumbents and appointed public servants as it will encompass the requirements of these Acts on public bodies as well as recent updates in this important Legislation that works to provide transparency in Government.