In celebration of the 2015 Sunshine Week, the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB) has scheduled an open house at the IPIB office in the Wallace Building, third floor, on the Capitol Grounds from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2015. Included in the open house is the opportunity to meet IPIB members and staff.
Sunshine Week was first celebrated in Florida in 2002 to coincide with James Madison’s birthday on March 16. According to the Sunshine Week website,www.sunshineweek.rcfp.org, the Sunshine Week “is about the public’s right to know what its government is doing, and why. Sunshine Week seeks to enlighten people to play an active role in their government at all levels, and to give them access to information that makes their lives better and their communities stronger.”
Since its inception in 2012, the Iowa Public Information Board has focused on its mission “Shining the Light on Public Information.” The IPIB has been funded and active since July 2013. In 2014, the IPIB staff logged a total of 811 questions, complaints, and requests from citizens, government officials, and the media. Approximately one-third of the requests are from government officials and staff for assistance in interpreting and implementing Iowa laws on open meetings and public records. Even more contacts are from citizens wanting IPIB help to acquire public records and gain access to meetings without filing a formal complaint. Geographically, the questions and complaints arise from all over the state, from small town Iowa to the largest cities and counties.
“President James Madison was well-known as an advocate for open government,” according to Charlie Smithson, Executive Director of the IPIB. “As Madison stated, ‘A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or both.’ The Iowa Public Information Board continues to strive to promote the public confidence in government by having an open government.”
Since its inception in 2012, the Iowa Public Information Board has focused on its mission “Shining the Light on Public Information.” The IPIB has been funded and active since July 2013. In 2014, the IPIB staff logged a total of 811 questions, complaints, and requests from citizens, government officials, and the media. Approximately one-third of the requests are from government officials and staff for assistance in interpreting and implementing Iowa laws on open meetings and public records. Even more contacts are from citizens wanting IPIB help to acquire public records and gain access to meetings without filing a formal complaint. Geographically, the questions and complaints arise from all over the state, from small town Iowa to the largest cities and counties.
“President James Madison was well-known as an advocate for open government,” according to Charlie Smithson, Executive Director of the IPIB. “As Madison stated, ‘A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or both.’ The Iowa Public Information Board continues to strive to promote the public confidence in government by having an open government.”
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