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San Antonio City Council closed meeting spurs debate on transparency, Texas law

FOIFT2018-05-30T14:43:53-05:00

By Jan Ross Piedad Texas Public Radio Originally published May 24, 2018 Texas Public Radio's program "The Source" recently focused on the dispute sparked when the San Antonio City Council met behind closed doors to discuss whether the city should submit a bid to host the Republican National Convention in 2020. Joe Larsen, an attorney on the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas board, was one of the program's guests. See the full story and listen to the radio program at the link below. http://tpr.org/post/san-antonio-city-council-closed-door-meeting-spurs-debate-transparency-texas-law

San Antonio City Council closed meeting spurs debate on transparency, Texas lawFOIFT2018-05-30T14:43:53-05:00

Victoria Advocate files suit against Calhoun port in Farenthold hiring

FOIFT2018-05-23T14:24:06-05:00

By Jon Wilcox Victoria Advocate Originally published May 21, 2018 The Victoria Advocate filed a lawsuit Monday asserting the Calhoun Port Authority broke the Texas open meetings law in hiring former Congressman Blake Farenthold as a lobbyist. “Few rights of the public are as important as the right to knowledge about how their government spends taxpayer funds and manages the public’s business. This suit is to vindicate those rights and reaffirm ... that sunshine is indeed the best disinfectant,” according to the lawsuit filed by the newspaper’s attorney, John Griffin, of Victoria. The suit comes almost two weeks after a May [...]

Victoria Advocate files suit against Calhoun port in Farenthold hiringFOIFT2018-05-23T14:24:06-05:00

Calhoun Port Authority’s hiring of Farenthold could be illegal

FOIFT2018-05-18T14:41:15-05:00

By Jessica Priest Victoria Advocate Originally published May 18, 2018 The Calhoun Port Authority apparently violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when it hired former Congressman Blake Farenthold as its lobbyist. The Victoria Advocate is investigating its legal options in challenging the May 9 action on behalf of the public. “This is one of the most clear-cut examples of a notice violation that I’ve ever seen,” said longtime media attorney Joe Larsen, who serves on the board of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Larsen said the notice the port posted at the Calhoun County courthouse May 4 was too [...]

Calhoun Port Authority’s hiring of Farenthold could be illegalFOIFT2018-05-18T14:41:15-05:00

San Antonio council’s closed-door meeting on GOP convention a ‘blatant mistake’

FOIFT2018-05-08T14:14:03-05:00

By Brian Chasnoff San Antonio Express-News Originally published May 8, 2018 San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg opted last week to convene the City Council behind closed doors to discuss whether the city should submit a bid to host the 2020 Republican National Convention. Made in private, the council’s controversial decision not to pursue the event likely violated the Texas Open Meetings Act — regardless of whether the council arrived at that decision by vote, experts said. “Wow. That’s a pretty blatant mistake,” said Bill Aleshire, an Austin-based attorney whose law practice is focused on government transparency and accountability. Read the full [...]

San Antonio council’s closed-door meeting on GOP convention a ‘blatant mistake’FOIFT2018-05-08T14:14:03-05:00

Spirit of FOI Award – Call for Entries 2018

FOIFT2018-05-03T16:15:32-05:00

The FOI Foundation of Texas is pleased to announce 2018 guidelines for the Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award contest. The contest is open to newspaper, broadcast and online media. The Spirit of FOI Award recognizes outstanding work in promoting open government and the public’s right to know. The deadline for submission of entries is Thursday, May 31, 2018. Nominations must be for work published or broadcast in calendar year 2017. A nomination can be a single news story or series; an editorial or series of editorials; columns; editorial cartoons; or a community FOI project. There is a limit of one [...]

Spirit of FOI Award – Call for Entries 2018FOIFT2018-05-03T16:15:32-05:00

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