Let the sunshine in, to better inform the public

The state of Connecticut has a complicated relationship with those of its citizens and leaders who push for government transparency. They have found some support in the decades since the middle of the last century, but also powerful opposition that has resulted in steps backward for open information.  Luckily, though, there are still plenty of those open information advocates, and they don’t give in easily. The effects of a pandemic don’t deter them. 

Now is a good time to look at the history of open information in Connecticut: It’s Sunshine Week. Since 2005, the American Society of News Editors, now the News Leaders Association, has sponsored a week every year to promote and celebrate access to public information, and to highlight what such openness means to communities across the United States. That also makes it a good time to look at the history of access to governmental information in our state and gain insight into the current climate. 

In 1955, the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information was founded by newspaper editors and publishers as an arm of the Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association to organize their efforts to make government accountable and open. Then, in 1975, the state’s Freedom of Information Act was passed through the General Assembly unanimously in the shadow of the Watergate scandal that brought down the Nixon White House. To enforce and administrate that act, the state’s Freedom of Information Commission was put in place. It has had to approach its mission differently during COVID restrictions, like every other state agency, but has continued to accept appeals and engage in its ombudsman program. In 1991, the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government was begun by citizens from the media, academia, the law, business and government with a mission to educate policymakers and the general public in the need for open and accountable government. 

These entities continue to fight for open government, and to sponsor virtual programs that inform the public about its right to know what its leaders are doing behind closed doors. With Zoom meetings now the norm for municipal government, it should mean greater access for all citizens. Yet it also means there is a kind of digital wall between those who govern and those who are governed. And for those without easy access to online communication, an ongoing problem in the Northwest Corner, that wall can be insurmountable. 

This is where Northwest ConneCT comes in. It is a public advocacy organization comprised of elected representatives and volunteer citizens with two duties: orchestrate a 21st century communications infrastructure in the Northwest Corner and promote economic development made possible by such an infrastructure. Sharon and Cornwall are two towns strongly affected by lack of good internet access, and each has a group of volunteers working to improve their situation. Follow the Sharon Connect Task Force and the Cornwall Internet Committee to find out how you can improve your access in these towns. And keep track of state legislation (see page A1 for a story on Gov. Lamont’s legislative bill HB 6442) through state Rep. Maria Horn’s (D-64) updates each week. Could the state have universal broadband access by 2025? It should,  as we have learned during a year of COVID what a communication gap lack of internet service creates, and that is part of what pending legislation is proposing.  

Annual state budget cuts have affected  the watchdog agencies in recent years, making it harder for them to fulfill their missions statewide. That means local government must be even more diligent in its own approach to openness. The Northwest Corner towns have maintained open communication as possible during the pandemic’s online governing, yet also moved forward with votes as necessary to keep towns functioning. All those who are part of the leadership should be aware of the way they are handling information that should be open and available to the public: Make the assumption that the information someone is asking for should be released, not that it should be kept secret. 

Happy Sunshine Week.