Future live chat events:
*Read archived chat here. New site location here.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Future Plans

A commenter:



Great idea. We could have a public records expert, like the attorney from Kent State University who is quoted frequently in the Sandusky Register, participate in a live blog and he could take questions from citizens in Sandusky. One could ask him what can be done about the current situation of secrecy in the city. You might be surprised to find that most attorneys go into law because they have respect for the ideals this country was founded upon. Many of them would gladly direct you on how to make progress with forcing public accountability. All you have to do is ask them!



Don't you believe that public sentiment carries weight in the decisions of politicians? I received several phone calls today about how interesting the concept of liveblogging is and how we need to advertise it more widely to increase awareness and participation. I did have the same thought as you, ("In the end, this is just idle talk,") but action starts with a plan. Plans start through discussion.

I'm planning on hosting a liveblog for every commission meeting. The meetings are broadcast on Channel 81. The chat will go active at 8:15 and we can all watch the meeting together on TV and chat about it on the net. Citizens who go to that podium won't feel like they're being stared down by the commissioners and sulked at by the likes of certain commissioners. Citizens don't deserve that kind of treatment, and this is one way to support them.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a plan. The people who address the commission need support and to show them that they are not in it alone and other people seem to think the way they do but are too afraid to step up and voice their concerns because they see what others have to go through even to get a no comment answer. Thank you 411 for giving the people an another avenue to voice their concerns. People deserve better accountability and not secrecy from their government.

Anonymous said...

A little background on William Lang, the "big city" attorney the City hired to help with the public records issue:

He's hardly a big city expert on public records - he's a suburban hack who suspended not too long ago by the Ohio Supreme Court for committing gross malpractice:

http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/docs/pdf/0/2006/2006-Ohio-1830.pdf

I wonder what he's being paid for his "expert" advice - particularly since his background doesn't indicate that he has any specialized knowledge in this area.

If the City is going to go to the expense of hiring outside counsel, it should at least hire counsel with a clean record and some expertise. Otherwise, let's us local hacks and keep our tax dollars in Sandusky.