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Santa Clara County, CA | June 6, 2006 Election |
Open Government in San Jose?By Pete ConstantCandidate for Council Member, 1; City of San Jose; Council District 1 | |
This information is provided by the candidate |
Former U.S. President James Madison once said, "A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." The residents of San Jose have seen firsthand the results of governance behind closed doors. The most recent and high profile instances of this are the $4 million dollar subsidy for the San Jose Grand Prix and the $45 million cost of furniture at the new city hall. In both of these cases, not only were the residents of San Jose kept in the dark, so was a majority of the city council. It is incredible to think that our elected leaders don't see the imperative that these types of multi-million dollar deals should be subject to public scrutiny. This is nothing new. Anyone familiar with local politics knows that these types of decisions happen every day, both on small and large scales. What is most troubling is that the council has refused to change the policies. Three years ago, when proposed modifications to the policy of making documents public sooner came before the council, over 70% of the council voted to reject the reform! It is imperative that the San Jose City Council address the critical problem of the lack of a fully transparent process of government. We must enact a sunshine ordinance that will:
It's time San Jose let the sun shine in on city hall. |
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