Doug Masson's response to my editorial at HoosierAccess.com brings up familiar arguments, but the case for having "public" meetings when the public can actually attend remains strong. It may well be that evening meetings do not significantly increase attendance, but that is not a reason to have meetings during the work day. The vast majority of the public will not access public records, but that does not mean we should repeal or significantly restrict access to public records. The point is that the public should be able to attend public meetings, not that they will attend those meetings in greater numbers. There are some people who cannot attend meetings who would if they were held at an accessible time.
The case for evening meetings
The case for evening meetings
The case for evening meetings
Doug Masson's response to my editorial at HoosierAccess.com brings up familiar arguments, but the case for having "public" meetings when the public can actually attend remains strong. It may well be that evening meetings do not significantly increase attendance, but that is not a reason to have meetings during the work day. The vast majority of the public will not access public records, but that does not mean we should repeal or significantly restrict access to public records. The point is that the public should be able to attend public meetings, not that they will attend those meetings in greater numbers. There are some people who cannot attend meetings who would if they were held at an accessible time.