Opinion: Politicians need to make meetings ‘camera-ready’
OPINION
Delaware County News Network
In this age where everyone has a camera, where every part of our daily lives seems to wind up on the Internet and where the presence of a camera is barely noticed, we were surprised to discover two incidents this past week where a government body has tried to restrict the use of recording equipment at their meetings.
Colwyn Council’s President Tonette Pray announced at their last meeting that no one would be allowed to take photos at their meetings without prior permission because they are too distracting. On the surface this seems to be a reasonable request to help maintain meeting decorum,
Problem is, it is a violation of the state’s Sunshine Act, which reads, “a person attending a meeting of an agency shall have the right to use recording devices to record all the proceedings.”
The Sunshine Act is designed to make sure the public has access to the deliberations and decisions made by our elected officials. Such access includes the right to record public meetings.
A similar problem occurred at Upper Darby Council recently when Barbarann Keffer wanted to videotape the meeting and was told the township records the meetings, which are made available to the public, and that private recordings are not allowed. After reviewing the situation, the powers that be in Upper Darby have now agreed to allow people to record the meetings, subject to certain rules needed to maintain orderly conduct at the meetings.
We’re surprised that our public officials aren’t better acquainted with the state’s Sunshine Act and we advise them to brush up on it.
The public is not exactly in a trusting mood right now when it comes to our government officials. Trying to restrict meeting recordings only adds to that distrust.
Delaware County News Network
In this age where everyone has a camera, where every part of our daily lives seems to wind up on the Internet and where the presence of a camera is barely noticed, we were surprised to discover two incidents this past week where a government body has tried to restrict the use of recording equipment at their meetings.
Colwyn Council’s President Tonette Pray announced at their last meeting that no one would be allowed to take photos at their meetings without prior permission because they are too distracting. On the surface this seems to be a reasonable request to help maintain meeting decorum,
Problem is, it is a violation of the state’s Sunshine Act, which reads, “a person attending a meeting of an agency shall have the right to use recording devices to record all the proceedings.”
The Sunshine Act is designed to make sure the public has access to the deliberations and decisions made by our elected officials. Such access includes the right to record public meetings.
A similar problem occurred at Upper Darby Council recently when Barbarann Keffer wanted to videotape the meeting and was told the township records the meetings, which are made available to the public, and that private recordings are not allowed. After reviewing the situation, the powers that be in Upper Darby have now agreed to allow people to record the meetings, subject to certain rules needed to maintain orderly conduct at the meetings.
We’re surprised that our public officials aren’t better acquainted with the state’s Sunshine Act and we advise them to brush up on it.
The public is not exactly in a trusting mood right now when it comes to our government officials. Trying to restrict meeting recordings only adds to that distrust.
