Tag Archives: Columbus Issue 12

Yesterday at rush hour, I stood at the corner of Broad and Front Streets holding a sign Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors. No, this was not about adoption, but it was about secrecy in government. No government can thrive without it. Yesterday was about keeping Columbus City Council meetings open to the public. Ohio’s Open Records and Open Meetings Law, collectively known as the Sunshine Law, is one of the best in the country. You can read about it and download here. It has numerous loopholes, most so tiny a gnat can barely fly through. That is, except for the dinosaur-sized adoptee birth certificate exemption, which even the most bleeding heart liberal thinks is hunky dory if it saves just one brave mother from being exposed to her neighbors by her thoughtless bastard. Another big loophole is the executive session where City Council is allowed to go behind closed doors to discuss “sensitive issues” away from public eyes and ears. Sensitive issues like personnel, property purchase, litigation, collective bargaining, security matters–that is, where money deals are cut. political appointments made. and tax payer money is squandered on privilege. In theory these meetings are rare. But in practice… Continue Reading →