Government only works well when it has the trust of the people and that trust is only possible when there is access.  

More public meetings and forums, done in accord with the open meetings law, is the path to improved transparency.  I am open to the Board meeting on a weekly basis vs. the current twice a month.  I also believe the Board, as a whole, should occasionally meet in communities throughout the county.  Better access creates better government.

The Iowa Open Meetings Law (Chapter 21) mandates/guarantees the public’s right to know of and witness their government’s decision-making process.  It ensures transparency by requiring that government deliberations and decisions are made in public, for all who wish to see, not behind closed doors, with few exceptions.

For me, Chapter 21 is more than good law, it’s a means of including media as both a defense against misinformation and a multiplier for access to the truth.

Chicago born Pope Leo, in a recent meeting with representatives of the press, warned against those who seek to divide us through what he called the “ancient art of lying” in order to rule through discord.  He may not be aware of Chapter 21 but he made clear that solid reporting is an antidote to the proliferation of junk information.  He shared, “with your patient and rigorous work you (the media) can act as a barrier against those who, through the ancient art of lying, seek to create division in order to rule by dividing.