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Monday, August 11, 2008

Ind. Gov't. - Paper pens tribute to state public access counselor

From an editorial today in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

[I]t’s encouraging to see the impressive record that Indiana’s new public access counselor is building.

Heather Willis Neal, who was appointed to the post by Gov. Mitch Daniels in July 2007, issued 336 opinions in response to formal complaints filed in the 12 months ending June 30. That number represents a 34 percent increase compared to the previous year.

The public access counselor has a statutory requirement to issue opinions within 30 days, but no such requirement in responding to informal inquiries. To her credit, Neal also made inroads in a backlog of those inquiries, some dating to 2005. She issued 42 informal opinions in response to those inquiries and in the first quarter of 2008 maintained a response rate averaging just 10 days.

And those inquiries don’t include the telephone calls the public access counselor’s office receives from someone simply asking if they are entitled to attend a closed-door meeting or to see a government document. Neal categorizes those as general inquiries. Her office, which includes herself and one staff member, field almost 2,700 phone calls and e-mails in the one-year period.

While she made great progress in issuing opinions, Neal wasn’t holed up in her office. She gave two dozen presentations on Indiana’s open government law to groups that included the Fort Wayne Housing Authority and the Indiana Township Association. She also partnered with the Indiana Coalition for Open Government and the Hoosier State Press Association for the first update of the Handbook on Indiana’s Public Access Laws since 2003.

Ms. Neal was appointed PAC by Governor Daniels effective July 1, 2007 - see ILB entry here. The PAC's annual report for the period July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008, is available here. The improved PAC website is here.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 11, 2008 08:49 AM
Posted to Indiana Government