NC Open Government

A large swath of North Carolina cities and towns have not been following a state law designed to grant easier access to public records after having more than a decade to comply.

From the Charlotte Observer (1/9/10): Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said Friday that the city should make public the personnel file of former police Officer Marcus Jackson, who has been accused of sexual assault by five women.

From the Rhino Times (1/17/10): Greensboro has a new city manager, Rashad Young, who has promised an open and transparent government. But after three months as the city manager, the city has the same old policy on public records, which is a deliberate and obstinate refusal to obey the law for as long as possible. Fortunately, the city also has a new mayor, Bill Knight, and some new and old city councilmembers who can force a change.

From Mountain Xpress (1/7/10): The Carolina Stompers, a conservative activist group, recently wrote a letter to the North Carolina Attorney General's office querying the legality of Buncombe County Commissioners' handling of a decision to keep prayer at their meetings. According to the Stomper’s Jan. 6 press release, "Commissioners 'polling a consensus' of each other to be it by phone, e-mail, or meeting is a violation. This should be done in a public, open, and transparent regular county commissioners meeting."

From Mountain Xpress (1/7/10): The agenda itself was light, but public comment took up over half the Jan. 5 meeting, as the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners got an earful on its pre-meeting prayer.

From the Wilmington Star-News (12/30/09): Why, when and how Alcoholic Beverage Control Board members decided to give raises to the father and son who run New Hanover County's liquor stores – netting them six-digit salaries – may never be known because those decisions were never recorded in their meetings, an attorney said Wednesday.

From the Triad Business Journal (12/23/09): North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue on Wednesday released a policy manual and tutorial that will guide state agency use of social media including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Dear Supporters of Open Government in North Carolina, I am writing because we need your help.

Commentary by Sandy Semans Managing editor, the Outer Banks Sentinel: After just finishing an open government legal challenge, it is difficult to look back on the General Assembly's last session and not play "what if."

From the Daily Advance (12/11/09): City Council was in no danger of violating the N.C. Open Meetings Law by considering proposed taxicab rule changes at the end of the Nov. 30 joint meeting with county officials, an expert on local government procedures said this week.