PRESIDENT OBAMA RIGHT ON OPEN GOVERNMENT

In remarks delivered today at the swearing in of his senior staff, President Obama set a standard for open government which should serve as a model for elected officials at every level.
Obama declared that “transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency”. Referring to the federal Freedom of Information Act, President Obama added “the Freedom of Information Act is perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government honest and transparent, and of holding it accountable. And I expect members of my administration not simply to live up to the letter but also the spirit of this law”.
In New York, elected and appointed officials at the state and local level are bound by the State Freedom of Information Law. Too often, when citizens seek information under that statute, it becomes a game as the government seeks to exploit any exception or loophole at its disposal to avoid disclosure. Too often, what should be full disclosure becomes a game of “gotcha” with government departments and officials straining to figure out how not to comply with disclosure.
Recognizing this problem on the federal level, President Obama today remarked that “for a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city. The old rules said that if there was a defensible argument for not disclosing something to the American people, then it should not be disclosed. That era is now over. Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information but those who seek to make it known”.
Good government demands that every citizen have available the information that allows him to make informed decisions and to judge the wisdom of the decisions being made by those who govern. Particularly as we enter a budget season that promises to demand hard choices which will directly impact the life of every resident of New York, officials at every level of government would do well to heed the spirit of the new President’s remarks.