Happy Sunshine Week! The League of Women Voters of Geauga (LWVG) joins the News Leaders Association and The Society of Professional Journalists in the annual observance celebrating open, accountable and transparent government.
For more than 100 years, the League of Women Voters has advocated for the public’s right to know about its government and for broad citizen participation at all levels of government. These ideals were first formalized as positions during the 1972 and 1974 National League Conventions, and were the basis for the League supporting the Government in the Sunshine Act. Passed by Congress in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, this legislation sought to restore public confidence in government by “shining a light” on the decision-making processes of federal public bodies. The Open Meetings Act and the Public Records Act, collectively referred to as the Ohio Sunshine Laws, perform the same function for Ohio public bodies.
The League’s Position on the Citizen’s Right to Know/Citizen Participation states: The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that democratic government depends upon informed and active participation at all levels of government. The League further believes that governmental bodies must protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings, and making public records accessible.
In support of the national position, in early 2021 LWVG launched its Observer Corps to study and observe government bodies in Geauga County. In late 2021 we began publishing reports on our website and to-date, have shared over 250 reports documenting county and school board meetings.
League Observers are trained to monitor for compliance with the Ohio Sunshine Laws, and we routinely review meeting notices, track meeting minutes, document actions taken in open session and scrutinize the use of executive sessions. Beyond these minimum public meeting standards, we communicate directly with public bodies to encourage more expansive, citizen-friendly policies.
One area we advocate for is expanding access to meetings. Recommended strategies include varying meeting times, as is the practice of the Russell Township Trustees; providing livestream options where the public may comment, as is the practice of the Board of Elections, ADP Board and Budget Commission; and recording meetings for later viewing, as is the practice of Geauga’s school boards, the Geauga County Public Library and the Geauga Public Health District, courtesy of ADP staff.
Another area of advocacy promotes citizen participation by permitting public comment during meetings. While we acknowledge this practice is not a right granted by the Ohio Sunshine Laws, we believe citizen input enhances public policy decisions and we advocate for public comment. We commend the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, the Geauga County Public Library and Geauga’s school boards for having formal written policies and for sharing them online. We also recognize that while the rules may be unclear to the public, many county bodies and most township, city and council bodies permit public comment during their meetings.
We are concerned by the County Commissioners’ practice of allowing public comment at the prerogative of the current president. As the role rotates among the Commissioners annually, the public is left to figure out from year to year what the current policy is. That uncertainty should be remedied.
We are perplexed by the Geauga Park District (GPD) assertion that the “Ways to Reach Us” page from their website acts as their public comment policy. Permitting emailed feedback is hardly a magnanimous gesture and it certainly is not a substitute for accepting questions and comments, on the record, during a public meeting. At the very least, GPD should clearly communicate its policy.
To support every citizen’s right to understand and participate in their government processes, we call on public bodies to create a written public comment policy, to communicate that policy to the public, to designate a public comment area on agendas and to enforce the policy provisions consistently.
The League of Women Voters of Geauga is committed to serving the people of this county and will continue to advocate for open, transparent and accessible government. We encourage Geauga voters to seek reliable information about their government and to actively monitor local issues so that they are well-equipped to participate in their democracy.
Subscribe to your local newspapers and visit www.lwvgeauga.org to check for upcoming public meetings and to read the latest LWVG Observer Corps reports.
The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not
support or oppose individual candidates or parties.