Category: 2009 Columns

  It’s a simple premise; if the state is going to tax you to pay for something, you should at least be able to find out how those dollars are spent. Thanks to the Internet, achieving this is easier than ever. And in a traditional home of open government like Wisconsin, one would think transparency […]

  The state of Wisconsin has a long tradition of open and transparent government. This is a reflection of our Wisconsin values, which place great importance on the individual citizen’s involvement in government. The state also has a strong tradition of athletics. Whether it is the Packers, the Badgers, or the local high school football […]

For the last decade, Wisconsin has been providing comprehensive online access to the workings of the state’s court system. Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, or WCCA, has generated billions of hits, saved countless hours of staff time for clerks of courts, and eased access to what is unquestionably public information. But now a serious legislative effort […]

Recently, I was asked to present at a conference on open government held by the Wisconsin Counties Association, as someone who uses and promotes the use of the state’s open records law. What did I want this roomful of records custodians to know? Thus, the Top Ten Things Requesters Want list was born. It’s not […]

On paper, Wisconsin’s open records law demands some of the highest levels of disclosure in the country. But for the average citizen, gaining access to the workings of government in Wisconsin can become a lengthy ordeal because the law has no deadlines for turning over records. “The key thing to understand when you look at […]

In some ways, the dispute was a lawyer’s dream: It was a case of first impression presenting an unusual mix of labor relations, public records and constitutional law. But the case also presented a potential nightmare for officials who keep custody of records, those who want to review them, and anyone else who cares about […]

A few times each month, the office of Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen sends me batches of e-mails containing its responses to citizens and public officials who write it seeking guidance on open government issues. The state’s open records and open meeting laws specifically state that “any person” may ask the office for advice on […]

Perhaps the Democrats on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee thought this would be a good time to kick newspapers while they’re down. For many legislators, newspapers do tend to be a pain in the butt, after all. But really what they did this month, when on a strict 12-4 party-line vote they decided to end […]

State lawmakers get plenty of perks – ornate Capitol offices, attentive staff, free parking on the Square, daily allowances, generous pay, health insurance and pensions. But the biggest perk of all is hardly noticed or ever discussed. Senators and representatives get to meet with their partisan pals behind closed doors in secret meetings whenever they […]

“I just came home, the door was bashed in and my girlfriend has been shot.” Those were the words of Jordan Gonnering, speaking to a 911 dispatcher last April after he found the body of Brittany Zimmermann in the downtown Madison apartment that he shared with her. Increasingly, the media use transcripts and audio of […]

As part of national Sunshine Week, March 15-21, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its third annual Opee Awards in recognition of people and institutions that have had an impact on open government in Wisconsin during the last year. The honorees are: Political Openness Advocate of the Year (the “Popee”): Roger Allen. Most […]