This is video coverage of this week’s open government seminar hosted by the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government on March 15, 2016 at Belleville High School.
I apologize for the delay in making this video available. YouTube seemed to be having some issues this past week, to the point where it took me 8 or 9 attempts to finally get this video uploaded and fully processed. Nothing trivial, considering the size of the video file was over 13GB.
Also, please pardon the parts of the video where the camera was not always centered on everyone speaking. The camera was set in the middle of the audience and left unattended so as to not be in the way of the people who were sitting behind it. This event took in the cafeteria because rehearsals were being held in the auditorium on the nights NJFOG had available.
This free educational seminar was held during national Sunshine Week, an annual event celebrating the importance of transparency and public information in modern society. The topic of discussion for the evening was the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), and the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
Our deepest thanks to Dr. Richard Tomko, Superintendent of Belleville schools, for agreeing to let us use the high school as our venue for this event. Despite coming together on relatively short notice and only lightly advertised, the seminar was very well attended, and a great success for the organization.
Most of all, we appreciate Dr. Tomko’s own efforts to have his administration be dramatically more forthcoming than the previous administration with regard to public information, and their willingness to provide it upon request. He and his staff deserve recognition for complying with the related laws and embracing transparency as they have, enough to even welcome the idea of an open government seminar that empowers citizens being offered under their own roof.
Stay tuned for news of NJFOG’s next educational event, which is scheduled for April 26th in Cranford.
Enjoy the video. I hope you find it informative.
Established in 2001, the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government (NJFOG) is the only organization in New Jersey dedicated solely to improving public access to government records and meetings. NJFOG works to educate residents about the state’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and also works to strengthen these laws and increase compliance.
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