Bad to worse: Dim bulb and outrage

- 8/27/08

Dim Bulb: Taxing testy decision-makers. Why do state school board members even have to ask to be kept in the loop about changes to the Maryland School Assessment? Last year they didn’t find out about the changes until they’d already been made. At least the board had the good sense to stand up and let people know that this was a problem and that it wanted it fixed. For school officials and the school board to remain in their mostly harmonious balance, they need to keep each other in the loop.

OUTRAGE
Secrets, secrets ...

Who: Baltimore City officials
What: Advocates, police and health officials gathered at Health Department headquarters to discuss strategies for protecting city sex workers, but they closed the meeting without saying why.
Why it’s a bad idea: OK, if they wanted to discuss specific law-enforcement tactics, then it might be a good idea to close the meeting. If that’s even what they discussed. But they should have made some kind of announcement as to why they closed the meeting. Maybe they’re not technically a “public body” that would be subject to Maryland open meeting laws, and maybe they are — but either way it’s good open government practice to let the people know what you’re up to.
Why they are doing it: By now it’s second nature for Baltimore agencies to shroud themselves in secrecy — and that’s precisely why they need citizens to keep them open and honest.
Where to vent: ci.baltimore.md.us

Quote of the day
“Green is the new black. ... The state of Maryland is on the cusp of becoming the green leader.”
— Stuart Kaplow, a Baltimore lawyer concentrating on land use and environmental law

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