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Saturday, April 07, 2007

Ind. Gov't. - More on "Ivy Tech's board broke state law, public access counselor rules"

Updating yesterday's ILB entry, the Indianapolis Star today has an editorial headed: "Private vote, public matter: Board violates trust." It begins:

Ivy Tech's board of trustees used an old trick to skirt Indiana's Open Door Law in selecting the community college's new president.

The trustees took an initial vote on their choice for president in a meeting closed to the public. Once the decision was made, they then staged a second, largely perfunctory, vote in public.

Indiana's public access counselor, Karen Davis, ruled this week that the trustees violated state law by voting on the job hire in the closed-door meeting. Davis' ruling was in response to a complaint filed by The Indianapolis Star.

In answer to its rhetorical question, "Why does it matter?" the Star answers: (1) "First, public officials need to follow the law." (2) "Second, the decision to hire Thomas J. Snyder as Ivy Tech's president was wrapped in controversy. * * * The public should have had the opportunity to ask questions and present arguments for or against candidates before the hiring decision was made." (3) "Third, while all public agencies need to honor the Open Door Law, it's especially important for those with missions as critical as Ivy Tech's."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 7, 2007 08:54 AM
Posted to Indiana Government