From The Forecaster:
FREEPORT — Public access and freedom of information advocates have long been calling for the appointment of an official to help the public navigate Maine's freedom of access laws.
They got their wish in the last legislative session when two bills passed, fully funding the state's first public access ombudsman, with $88,000 in annual salary and benefits. Maine became the sixth state to create a public access ombudsman.
[…]
Mal Leary, editor of Capitol News Service … [and] president of the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition and a member of the state's Right to Know Advisory Committee, said the office should also help resolve disputes and hopes it will help find alternatives to expensive litigation.
Maine Freedom of Information Coalition is a member of NFOIC.–eds.