August 2nd, 2010
Letter to the editor: Meeting for open government

To the editor:

The public is cordially invited to a “Transparency in Local Government” open meeting on Monday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. at the San Marcos Public Library.

We will start the meeting with a brief presentation on transparency and open local government, including examples of what other communities across the U.S. are doing. Then we will do an open forum where we will get more public input and your ideas for open local government, followed by a list reduction exercise to help prioritize the top ideas.

We want to create a “top ten” list of initiatives that are actionable, timely, meaningful, and cost effective. This “top ten” list will facilitate focus and dialogue with local candidates and current elected leaders and city staff.

This is the start of an on-going journey. Towards the end of the meeting, we will discuss next steps. Plenty of community members want to see more transparency and open government. There has been enough interest to form a new group dedicated to championing this cause. The current name for this group is “Open San Marcos,” but we can brainstorm other names and finalize the on-going group name at this meeting.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. And, spread the word. Let others know about it. It is an open public meeting. And, feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions in the meantime.

Sincerely,
Steve Harvey
San Marcos
(512) 557-1298