Middletown (Ohio) Journal
Oct. 12, 2005
Excerpt:
The Ohio Supreme Court reportedly is considering whether to
hear a case that originated in the Northwest Local School District in
suburban Cincinnati involving the use of electronic mail by Northwest
school board members.Mark Haverkos, a former resident of the Northwest district and now a
candidate for the neighboring Lakota Board of Education, sued four
Northwest board members in 2003, alleging they violated the state’s
“Sunshine” open meetings law by communicating via e-mail. The Sunshine
Law requires that all public bodies meet in open sessions, and forbids
closed-door meetings except in specific situations.[…]
The effect of the ruling — especially if the Ohio Supreme Court
upholds it — will be to embolden public bodies around the state —
councils, school boards, county commissions, zoning boards — to use
e-mail, voice mail, instant messaging, or other technology to undermine
the Sunshine Law, we fear.Most public officials take their responsibility to taxpayers seriously
and follow the law precisely. But too many are either ill-informed of
the law’s requirements or choose to find ways to skirt it — so that
deliberations on sensitive matters can be conducted out of the public’s
view.
