You readers are probably aware of the phenomena called a “Friday news dump.” For the uninitiated, it’s the tactic of waiting until late in the day on a Friday to make public things you don’t really want the public to notice. The idea being that by Friday evening, the people who would notice are in…
Attorney General: City Violated Open Meetings Law by Holding Council Meeting Out of Town
Often entities of North Dakota’s government, particularly local governments and committees and agencies, hold meetings far from their usual place of business. I’ve been critical of this practice in the past, such as when a board at North Dakota State University decided to hold an annual meeting in Minneapolis. How can a meeting of a…
Legislature Should Consider Using Existing Platforms for Video of Committee Meetings
Several years ago the North Dakota Legislature implemented a video system for floor sessions in the House and Senate chambers. I should pause here to note that, with this blog celebrating its 16th birthday yesterday, I’ve been around long enough to remember when we only had an audio stream of floor sessions. Through RealPlayer which,…
North Dakota’s Public Officials Should Be Required to Record Meetings Even When They’re Closed to the Public
Most of you reading this probably don’t live in Fargo, so you might not much care that the local park board there violated open meetings law, but if you’re a resident of North Dakota you should be paying attention because how this situation is being handled could very well be how some government entity in…
It Should Be Illegal for a City to Hold an “Open Meeting” in Another City
Last year the City of Minot held a “retreat” in the City of Washburn, a town roughly an hour south along Highway 83. This “retreat” was also, supposedly, an open meeting at which public business was discuss. Including a hot-button issue related to the city doubling the cost of building permits for people living in…
North Dakota Politics Needs More Transparency, Not an Ethics Committee
This Fargo Forum editorial over the weekend struck the right tone on the need for more transparency when it comes to the financial interests of state lawmakers (and probably other elected officials too). It was based on a report by my colleague John Hageman which found that a few state lawmakers are, in addition to holding…
North Dakota Courts Should Approve Mandate for Online Access to Records
I support a new rule proposed for the North Dakota court system which would require that public records be available to the public for online access. You should too. The state Supreme Court is currently accepting public comment on a new rule, to be called Administrative Rule 41, which among other things would mandate the…
Sean Foss: AG Stenehjem’s Recent Performance Illustrates Need for Independent Counsel on Open Records/Meetings Opinions
On October 27, 2017, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem issued an Open Records and Meetings opinion regarding a recent visit to North Dakota by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. During a meeting on the NDSU campus that was closed to the public but included both Governor Doug Burgum and Attorney General Stenehjem, Pruitt discussed the controversial Waters…
UND Spent Over $16,000 on Consulting in Athletics Department Which Produced No Written Reports
Brian Faison, the Athletics Director at the University of North Dakota, retired earlier this week. Only my colleague, Grand Forks Herald sports reporter Tom Miller, doesn’t buy that it was a retirement. In a column he opines that Faison was pushed out and the university is keeping it quiet. Miller notes that UND hired a consultant…
In Defense of the Smoky Back Room
The Bismarck Tribune today, in an editorial, blisters Governor Doug Burgum for holding a closed-door meeting with oil and gas industry leaders to talk about pipeline safety. “When Gov. Doug Burgum took office we knew he would take a different approach to government,” the Tribune writes. “Unfortunately, that includes excluding the public from discussions that directly impact…