Sunday conversation ... on open records

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson considers it part of his job to make sure government stays open to the people.

Edmondson is a board member for Freedom of Information Oklahoma Inc., an organization made up mostly of journalists, librarians and academics who support open government.

Edmondson's office holds seminars every two years to teach government officials about the state's laws in an effort to make sure people have access to their government.

But his personal beliefs about open government don't trump his responsibility to enforce the laws passed by the state Legislature. Oklahoman Staff Writer Bryan Dean talked with Edmondson about open government in honor of Sunshine Week, a national effort to promote open government.

Q: Why did you choose to be a part of FOI Oklahoma?

A: When I first was elected attorney general, I was approached by FOI Inc. and they said that attorneys general had been offered the opportunity to be on the board and usually accepted unless they thought it might be a conflict. I saw no obvious conflict and thought it was a worthwhile organization and wanted to participate. I have been on the board since 1995 and have been a fairly regular attendee at meetings.

Q: Why should people care about Sunshine Week and open government in general?

A: The government is the people. The government belongs to each and every one of us whether we are talking about a school board or the city council or the county courthouse or the state Legislature or the United States Capitol. It is our government, and we have the right to watch how it works and to make sure that our tax dollars are being spent wisely. The best way to get that information is by attending the meetings and having access to the documents. I can't think of anything besides voting that's more important to that process than openness.

Q: What do you do to try to encourage other state agencies to be as open as possible?

A: We provide seminars that we do every other year across the state. Those are for mostly local government officials, but we also make sure the invitations are extended to state boards and agencies. We also have through our general counsel division a liaison attorney for every state agency board and commission.

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