In Your Opinion: Franklin Government Is Open, And Getting Moreso

By Mayor Phil Kramer.

Last week the Franklin Reporter (FR) called for recording and televising more of the various township committee meetings including the ones populated by volunteers. I agree that this would be a step forward with the open government initiative I advanced starting in about 2004. I’m proud to have been involved in the processes of initiating the televising of every government committee currently televised to include Township Council, Planning Board, Zoning Board, the Board of Education and most recently the Library Board. None of the township advances could have occurred without support of the Council, which has made open government a high priority.

Currently I’m working with Will Galtieri, a member of the Sewage Commission you will soon be hearing a lot about, to have their meetings televised. That should happen very soon.

So what’s next? I believe governing bodies that spend money or have ‘final’ authority of some kind are the most important to be televised. With the above list already tackled, one decision-making board under council control though not yet on FTTV is the Historic Commission. The commission rules on building plans submitted by land owners in the town’s historic districts. Full disclosure, I live in one of those districts.

At tonight’s (June 13, 2017) council meeting I’ll be asking for the process to begin. I did say process. I’ll need the support of the rest of Council and I’d like to hear from members of the Commission as well. We also will need to decide on the logistics. To facilitate the process I think we should investigate the installation of a simple video and audio system in the large conference room. This is the location of many committee meetings and this apparatus will facilitate them being recorded.

This Council has been for open government in the past and will continue to advance that cause in the future. I’d like to thank the FR and its editorial staff for initiating this discussion.

Your Thoughts

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