If Democrat Drew Edmondson wins the governor’s race next year, he plans to open an Office of Open Government to bring more transparency to government. The office will be within the Governor’s Office and have the sole purpose of compliance with Oklahoma’s sunshine laws.
“Government belongs to the people,” Edmondson said. “The meetings we hold, the records we create — all of that belongs to the people. We should be working to guarantee that access. Instead, over the last seven years, we’ve seen an effort from the current administration to skirt the law and, in some cases, to outright stonewall the public. That has to stop.”
In recent years, various media outlets have complained about the slow response of elected officials and state agencies when given a formal request for information. Some have landed in court.
Edmondson said he wants the public to know what its government is doing.
“Good government dies in the dark,” Edmondson said. “Under the current administration, we have agencies with no real oversight, and no real opportunity for the general public to impact policy as it is being decided. Government leaders are employed by the taxpayers. We have a right to know what they’re doing.”
