Open meeting law for everyone

There have been two major cases involving the Nevada Open Meeting Law over the past few weeks, fortunately neither in Douglas County.

Most spectacularly is approval of the Lazy 8 Casino by the Sparks city attorney after meeting with members of the city council. One council member changed a vote, but the people that council members work for didn't get to see it, because the council didn't take action in public.

The other more complicated issue is the action of the Nevada Tax Commission, which voted behind closed doors on appeals by taxpayers.

The Tax Commission is allowed to hear proprietary information affecting tax payers in secret, but Attorney General George Chanos says the action must be taken in public.

The Attorney General's Office is in charge of upholding the open meeting law and has done due diligence in these two cases.

Often times it is the press who calls attention to open meeting law violations, but the law is about everyone's access to their government.

Its chief principal is that the public's business be conducted in the open. Otherwise, how can we know that those we entrust with authority are doing what we expect of them? We believe that government conducted in secret is by its very nature suspect.

Opening the doors of government is a protection for both the governed and the governing.