Is your local government transparent and working for citizens?
Is a public official working for the Berrien County, Lanier County, Lowndes County, and surrounding area citizens or their city governments when … ?
- Official claims truth is what’s being said at the moment, instead of information in accordance with fact or reality
- Official tells citizens to follow the law, but privately doesn’t do it him/herself
- Official gives a defendant access to official’s social media to let the person keep score and comment in official’s name
- Official tells citizens to take care of matters themselves, instead of enforcing ordinances or law
- Official uses government meeting to infer, imply and otherwise misconstrue personal complaints in an effort to embarrass someone, instead of conducting official business.
- Official pits people against each other to make one feel right and the other one wrong
- Official tries to control vote at election time by implying official is an incumbent for a position that the official has never held
- Official places an agency or person on a government meeting agenda without notifying that agency or person that they are on the agenda to be talked about.
- Official orders other board/council members to figure out how to “get” someone
- Official offers solution which isn’t a full solution, just to appear ‘helpful’ Official calls citizen by name and labels a ‘liar’ during public meeting
- Official controls all the decision-making about everything including the responsibilities of a board council
- Official limits information available or refuses to post information on a government’s website.
- Official doesn’t update government’s website and keep it current
- Official commonly uses derogatory ‘pet’ names for anyone who does not hold identical views or anyone perceived as questioning or challenging that official
- Government meeting format for how citizens can speak in a meeting is not made known except during the meeting in which citizen wants to speak, effectively government controls comments.
- Official tells staff to ignore Open Records Requests instead of responding to them, hoping that the person will not pursue the request
- Official changes meetings to accommodate employee or contract labor creating attendance problems for board/council and citizens
- Official starts a “whisper” campaign to misrepresent decades old public information as a way to control votes and get elected.
- Official creates community budget and minimizes board/council or citizens their right to know in advance and give input?
- Official constructs narrative for citizen by saying official held public meetings about which board/council never were informed
- Official states “I don’t think citizens need to know anything. Certainly they don’t need to know everything!”
- Official doesn’t look for ways to be transparent, particularly with on-line information, limiting citizens right to know
- Official uses government meeting agenda to complain about media articles done in a way as to try to embarrass or otherwise discredit media, instead of government business.
The Lanier County News attends the Lakeland City Council Meetings, Ray City Council Meetings, Lanier County Board of Commissioners Meetings, Berrien County Board of Commissioners Meetings, Lanier County School Meetings, and Berrien County School Meetings each month and various related meetings of boards to which they appoint members. Actions on this list are based upon actual experiences of the Lanier County News as it works to obtain, process and cover information, which is reported to the public. The Lanier County News invites, even urges, citizens to also attend these government meetings as well!
