Delafield, WI – Coming on the heels of several groundbreaking reports from IRG’s Center for Investigative Oversight – including discovering United Nations Foundation funding of Governor Evers’ climate change agenda and unconstitutional hiring practices by UW-Madison – today, the CIO is releasing a new manual, the “Open Meetings Primer” to assist the public – both lawmakers and citizens – to better understand their rights within the governmental process under the guidelines of the Open Meetings Law in the State of Wisconsin.
Tomorrow night, Anthony LoCoco, Director of Oversight, will present the manual to Rock County First, one of the state’s leading grassroots organizations!
WHAT IT IS: The Primer provides an overview of the Open Meetings Law, a set of statutes guaranteeing to Wisconsinites general access to meetings of governmental bodies. The Primer discusses when the Open Meetings Law is triggered and the four main requirements of open meetings (otherwise known as the four ‘P’s’): Posted, Public, Preservable and Published. The document also dives into what happens when the Open Meetings Law is violated and a fifth ‘P’ comes into play: Prosecutable. It is for general information purposes only.
WHY DOES IT MATTER: The Open Meetings Law is key for oversight as it is a powerful tool available for all Wisconsinites to use to conduct oversight of our state and local government. This is imperative so that our citizens can make good decisions about whether change is or isn’t needed in the way our government is functioning.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: IRG hopes that citizens across the state of Wisconsin will take the time to learn about the Open Meetings Law and use the information to serve as watchdogs in their local areas. The Open Meetings Primer is just the latest in the CIO’s oversight toolkit – more items to assist with local and state oversight are planned.
IRG’s Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Oversight Anthony LoCoco released the following statement:
“As IRG dramatically increases its oversight efforts on the executive branch and local government, we are proud to provide Wisconsinites with another oversight tool today in the form of the Open Meetings Primer. All Wisconsinites have the opportunity to conduct oversight of our government officials and I encourage them to do so whenever necessary.”
TO LEARN MORE: Tomorrow evening, at 6:30 p.m., LoCoco will present more information regarding the Open Meetings Law and the importance of oversight generally in Janesville, in partnership with the grassroots group Rock County First. All are welcome to join.
Event Details:
Wednesday, August 9, 6:30 p.m.
*Registration begins at 6:00 p.m.
Sidelines Sports Pub and Grill
731 S. Wuthering Hills Drive
Janesville, WI 53546
HELP OUR OVERSIGHT EFFORTS
- Help get the word out – forward this email to two friends!
- Put the below graphic on social media!
- Reach out to Anthony LoCoco on our team at [email protected] with any questions!
