Mackinac Center to host town hall meeting in Jackson July 17

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, as part of its Open Government Initiative, will host a town hall meeting on government transparency from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17 at Baker College of Jackson, 2800 Springport Road. Panelists will include Mike Steinberg, legal director for the ACLU of Michigan; Robin Luce-Herrmann, general counsel for the Michigan Press Association; John Bebow, president of The Center for Michigan/Bridge Magazine; and Patrick Wright, director of the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. Radio host Tony Conley will moderate. "The Mackinac Center has long been a proponent of open government, and now we think it's time to increase our efforts to improve transparency laws and equip citizens with training to ensure the accountability of elected officials," said Executive Vice President Michael J. Reitz. The forum will explore how Michigan's Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act work and how they can be improved. Reitz said the Center plans to conduct a comprehensive study that will recommend changes the Legislature should make to the FOIA and OMA statutes, including needed improvements such as faster response times by government entities; lower costs that can be charged by government entities; stronger penalties for agencies that wrongfully withhold public information; and improved access to electronic records. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland. Published: Mon, Jul 15, 2013

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