Today in a comment to a post on this site (read the conversation here), Bernie O'Hare who has a suit filed against the Borough of Nazareth regarding Sunshine Law violations stated that, "it may interest you to know that Judge Smith dealt Nazareth a setback. I had objected to Nazareth's absurd answer [in defense of the charge that the Borough violated the Sunshine Law], and Smith sustained my objection and ordered them to do it over."
He went on to say that, "I don't want to embarrass Nazareth officials. I don't even want to vote them out of office. I just want them to follow the law. I have said as much to Al [Solicitor Al Pierce] now in two letters. His response was a bizarre defense that the court rejected today. Maybe they'll now come to their senses, but I'm not holding my breath."
Given the fact that the Council has again gone the route of not announcing meetings of Committees, the outcome of this ruling will be critical to the people's ability to know what their elected officials are planning and considering, before those plans appear on an agenda and are voted on.
2 comments:
The Nazareth Council should just follow the law. Why is that so hard? Make a public statement that all meetings will be open and get over it. This should be the advise given to the council from the president and the solicitor. Obvious. Not difficult to understand.
I would have thought it would have been as obvious as well.
It doesn't even have to be a right or wrong issue, just in light of the concern we've decided that all council meetings will be open unless we are unable (note not unwilling) to do so.
If we have a meeting and its not open, we'll tell you we're having it, but you can't join us for legal reasons.
I think everyone would be good with that.
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