Sunshine Open Public Meetings. Boston City Council Committees.

by Dan Ring
dring at repub.com
"We made a mistake, a simple mistake," he said.

More than 30 years after passage of the law, that's an all-too-common refrain among municipal leaders.

In one of the most egrigious cases, the Boston City Council was fined $11,000 in 2006 by a Superior Court judge for repeated violations of the law spanning about two years.

The Open Meeting Law is aimed at requiring public boards to conduct their business in public except for certain exceptions. But judging from the number of violations across the commonwealth in recent years, the law remains confusing and easily circumvented unless challenged.

The Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association collected nearly 300 pages of clips from 2006 about constant and sometimes repeated violations of the law around the state.

Meetings law due for overhaul
Fate is uncertain for bill to overhaul open meeting law.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
http://www.masslive.com/news/republican/index.ssf?...
http://www.masslive.com/
news/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1205652060295190.xml&coll=1
by Dan Ring
dring at repub.com