Please help the Coalition to have a productive 2014

dcogcadmin | December 20, 2013

Dear Friend of Open Government:

The D.C. Open Government Coalition (DCOGC) is completing another successful year thanks to your support and commitment to enhancing the public’s access to government information and ensuring the transparency of the District of Columbia government.

Since we organized in 2009, we have come to be the leading authority on DC Government policy and procedures affecting open records and open meetings.  These past 12 months might have been our best! Some highlights of the past year include:

Dear Friend of Open Government:

The D.C. Open Government Coalition (DCOGC) is completing another successful year thanks to your support and commitment to enhancing the public’s access to government information and ensuring the transparency of the District of Columbia government.

Since we organized in 2009, we have come to be the leading authority on DC Government policy and procedures affecting open records and open meetings.  These past 12 months might have been our best! Some highlights of the past year include:

•    In January, we enjoyed our first court victory.  After suing the Council of the District of Columbia demanding release of legislator’s business-related Emails on their personal Email accounts, the Council settled our first lawsuit, agreeing to release available Emails and change their policy going forward to require that Council Members use official government accounts subject to FOIA at all times.

•    In March, we released data on poor performance by D.C. boards and commissions under the new Open Meetings Act and asked that District officials end a long delay and appoint a leader for the Open Government Office that will enforce the Act.  These discussions took place at our annual Open Government Summit during Sunshine Week, which drew more than 100 attendees.  They heard remarks from Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Council Member Kenyan McDuffie (Ward 5) and Robert Spagnoletti, chairman of the District’s new Board of Ethics and Government Accountability.

•    In April, years of hard work and advocacy culminated with the establishment of the D.C. Open Government Office and the appointment of its inaugural director, Traci Hughes, a former DCOGC board member.

All this in the first four months of the year!  Later success stories include a year-end compliance review of the District’s Open Meetings Act (our second), helping D.C. residents get access to information and opening up public meetings, working to get approval of needed amendments to the D.C. FOIA and Open Meetings Law, and fighting for government transparency in many different ways.  These efforts reflect the Coalition’s use of the legislative process to ensure that the Open Government Office gets the resources it needs to oversee and enforce the Open Meetings Act and FOIA.

These efforts take time and money.  The D.C. Open Government Coalition takes no dues — we rely solely on the generosity of people like you.  You can help our efforts.  Please go online and make a year-end donation to the D.C. OGC today.  

On behalf of the Coalition, thank you for your support.  Together, we can bring sunshine to the District of Columbia Government.

With best regards,
Kathy Patterson
President, D.C. Open Government Coalition