Yesterday, the Associated Press reported on a curious development at New York’s powerful new ethics board, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. On Feb. 2, the board had announced the appointment of Ellen Biben, a former prosecutor and longtime aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as its executive director. The hire was decided on in a […]
open meetings
Between midnight and dawn last Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo used emergency measures to push a major package of laws through the state legislature. So-called “messages of necessity” were designed to be used only during emergencies and bypass the normal three-day waiting period that allows the public and press to review bills before the legislature takes […]
It’s Sunshine Week – a time to ask how well government is living up to its obligations to make information available to the public. This year New York’s standards took a major leap forward thanks to a new enhancement to the state’s Open Meetings Law: public agencies are now required to release documents under discussion at […]
Bill would require document disclosure before public meetings
