Sunshine Week is a national celebration of open government, freedom of information, and advocacy for the public’s right to know that was established in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors. Sunshine Week this year extends from March 12 through 18.
The week’s name is a tribute to the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, who wrote that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants”; that an informed citizenry is the best check against government corruption and overreach.
Public meetings and the remote access permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic are a means to that end. But the emergency law that made remote meetings possible is set to expire March 31 unless the Legislature acts to extend it.
As Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition wrote in an editorial this week, remote access to government meetings is one of the few silver linings to emerge from COVID-19. “It provides equity and engagement in our democracy that many members of our communities would not otherwise enjoy,” making it possible for citizens with family obligations, elder care, child care, and other issues to engage with their local boards and committees.
Of course, remote access has also been a boon to small weeklies like the Press, enabling us to cover more meetings than our small staff would typically allow and to engage the services of out-of-town reporters and college interns to extend our reach.
Passage of an amendment to the state’s Open Meeting Law that’s making its way through the Legislature would allow town boards and committees to continue holding remote meetings for another two years, until March 31, 2025. While we can hope for a more permanent solution, we urge our legislators to send the proposed extension to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk for signature. It would be a fitting celebration of Sunshine Week and a vote for open government.
