Opinion from Ohio Newspaper Association:
One of the major concerns we have had with Ohio’s open meetings law is that it leaves a lot of wiggle-room for public bodies to be overly vague and even evasive about the reasons why they go into executive sessions.
Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, has introduced a bill (Senate Bill 93) that would take needed steps toward fixing this problem by requiring clearer, more specific information in the motion and vote to meet in secret. The bill also requires more details in minutes kept of executive sessions and makes it a bit easier to collect attorney fees if you sue for enforcement of the law.
These are all good ideas, and we look forward to working with Sen. Jones and others to support the measure.