Improving County Government Openness

“Power corrupts, and there is nothing more corrupting than power exercised in secret.”

National Public Radio journalist Daniel Schorr Some residents, including some commissioners, have questioned the motive behind a complaint filed by a Leelanau County citizen alleging that a task force established by the County Board was continually violating the Open Meetings Act.

In fact, even a reporter assigned to cover the story offered a strange commentary for someone with the task of watchdogging local government. In an email exchange, he asked, “And indeed, it would be much easier to take this story seriously if you could point us to some actual harm committed by the task force besides failing to post meeting notices and minutes.”