Good morning. Sunday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with occasional thundershowers and a high of 79. Sunrise is 6:32 AM and sunset 7:08 PM for 12h 36m 07s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 34.6% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1962, President Kennedy delivers his “We choose to go…
Public Meetings
City, Coronavirus, Public Health, Public Meetings, School District
Whitewater Schools’ Community Focus Group, 7.8.20
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
The Whitewater Unified School District held a community focus group on 7.8.20 via Zoom about public schools opening in the fall. A video of the recorded meeting is embedded above. There have also been other, in-person meetings over the last ten days. A few remarks: Translated. The focus group had, sensibly, a Spanish language translator.…
Newspapers, Open Government, Public Meetings
A Simple Truth About Open Government
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
I’ve written recently about importance of open government, for itself and for its positive effects, but a simple truth about open government is that it requires a consistent policy of openness. Open sometimes, closed others, isn’t open government: it’s caprice. I’ve a draft of a series open government in progress, and in cases where openness…
City, Local Government, Open Government, Public Meetings, Public Records, School District
Sunshine Week 2018 (A Methodical Approach)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Writing about a topic is a deliberate, often slow, process. Something happens – perhaps of concern – but one may not address it immediately. A bit of waiting can be a sound response. Along the way, an original perspective may change, and a project grow larger (or smaller). See Steps for Blogging on a Policy or Proposal.…
City, Local Government, Open Government, Public Meetings, Public Records
Sunshine Week 2018 (City, District, and State)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Local readers may have heard, as I have heard, that area officials know that there are ways around municipal ordinances and school district policies on open government. There’s no surprise in hearing this: there is no human construct that cannot be circumvented; there are few professing a public interest who do not simultaneously feel the…
Law, Open Government, Public Meetings
Sunshine Week 2018 (The Bad Example Nearby)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Just as one would prefer a beautiful neighborhood, so too would a sensible person prefer that nearby towns were well-ordered and successful. And yet, and yet, one cannot choose for those other towns: they will choose for themselves, sometimes well, sometimes poorly. When they do choose poorly, the best one can do is to guard…