Local officials not too concerned with public “Right to Know”

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In an effort to make Maine more transparent, MaineOpenGov.org has been working to collect spending data from municipalities and school districts in Maine.

Local governments have been wary about giving out this public information, with many towns refusing, stalling or asking for large sums of money to hand over town spending data. You will recount the tale of the Town of Alfred – who spent time and money to get back at The Maine Heritage Policy Center for a request for Alfred town data.

A recent story in the SeaCoastOnline shed some light into the situation, detailing the case of several town officials who refused the mandatory training that would help educate them on Right-to-Know issues and Maine’s Freedom of Access laws.

Keeping public information hidden from citizens and taxpayers and refusing required training to help them uphold their duties is not what is needed from local officials in tough economic times and it begs the question – what is there to hide? 

If you are interested in putting your towns spending online, contact MaineOpenGov.org at info@maineopengov.org.