Over the weekend, the Dallas Morning News ran a scathing editorial about Texas Municipal League’s attack on the open meetings act. TML's antics to hire lobbyists to lobby against taxpayer interests have not gone unnoticed. Now, TML has finally gone too far.
This appeared in Friday’s edition:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-open_27edi.State.Edition1.2658444.html
Some choice quotes:
“For city councils and other government bodies, avoiding these [criminal] consequences is pretty simple: Don't schedule secret meetings or make decisions behind closed doors. Amazingly, the Texas Municipal League and some Texas cities have decided that's too much to ask. “
“Of course, arguing that a weak open-meetings law would somehow bolster free speech requires some tortured logic, but that's their argument, and they're sticking to it. Quite simply, these efforts aim to water down the Open Meetings Act by removing the threat of criminal penalties, rendering the law toothless and somewhat pointless.”
“Taxpayers in every Texas city have a stake in this. If open-government laws are watered down, public officials could ease down a slippery slope. Conversations among a quorum of council members could easily morph into informal votes and the opportunity to orchestrate the outcome before a public meeting commences. “
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