The Open Meetings Law Really Means “Open”

In an editorial on Thursday, May 7th, Newsday made some excellent points regarding needed changes to make the Open Meetings Law more meaningful to New York citizens. You may read the entire Newsday editorial, entitled “Bill will put more muscle behind open meetings law.”

To get a good contrast in non-compliance vs compliance with the letter, and spirit, of the NY Open Meetings Law, simply attend a few meetings of the Huntington Town Board, and then contrast that by attending School Board meetings of either the Elwood School District or the Northport-East Northport School District.

You will be amazed at Huntington Town Board meetings, because there is almost no discussion, not even a fig leaf of pretension, as they cast their votes on dozens and dozens of resolutions. Yes, some of those are perfunctory resolutions, but many are substantive, and yet you will not hear a discussion, much less a free and open debate, on those items.

But, do you really believe that there has been no discussion among the five members of the Huntington Town Board? Or, has there instead been a discussion behind closed doors, out of the public’s eyes (and the public’s ears), and has the discussion preserved whatever secrecy that any of the five Town Board members preferred?

In contrast, attend a Work Session of the Elwood School Board, which is typically held each 1st Thursday, and then attend a Regular Meeting of the Board, which is typically held each 2nd Thursday. At the Work Session there is a full discussion of issues before the Board, and while a consensus may be achieved, there is no official vote until the next Regular Meeting of the Board. And, even at the Regular Meeting, given the tendency of some of our Board members to speak and re-define their positions, you will again hear a free and open discussion, and sometimes even a debate. Votes come with openness, as the Open Meetings Law intends.

Similarly, the Northport/East Northport School Board, which typically meets every other Monday, has very open discussions among the Board members, since they have a series of Regular Meetings, rather than the Work Session/Regular Meeting structure employed in Elwood. The dialogue in Northport is open, and sometimes quite candid, and those people attending their meetings are also witnessing an excellent application of the Open Meetings Law.

The Town of Huntington, and its five Town Board members, certainly needs to be “encouraged” by the kind of enhancement to New York’s Open Meetings Law which has now been promoted by the editorial board of Newsday.