[Libs-Or] Fwd: [District Dispatch] ALA signs letter urging Obama administration to announce participatory process for developing transparency policy recommendations

[Diedre Conkling]

ALA signs letter urging Obama administration to announce participatory
process for developing transparency policy recommendations
<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=2931> May 21st, 2009
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=2931

OpenTheGovernment.org <http://www.openthegovernment.org/>
Press Release

Open Government Advocates Urge Obama Administration to Announce a
Participatory Process for Developing Transparency Policy Recommendations

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2009 – More than 60 organizations and advocates
concerned with government transparency recently called
on<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ogd-openprocess-final.pdf>the
Obama administration to initiate a formal, transparent process that
includes public input before making recommendations to the president on
approaches to make government transparent, collaborative, and participatory.

On January 21, President Barack Obama asked his staff to develop
recommendations for an Open Government Directive by May 21. Lead
responsibility was assigned to the president’s Chief Technology Officer, who
was not nominated until April 18 and awaits Senate confirmation.

The open government advocates asked the Obama administration to postpone
development of recommendations until it undertakes a transparent process
that involves opportunities for public participation. We are excited about
today’s announced initiatives by the Obama administration, which include
both the use of new media to engage the public and the more traditional
process of announcements in the Federal Register, to identify topics on
which the administration seeks public input, although we hoped that the
administration would have developed some fuller ideas to share for comment
at this point.

The groups also requested that comments from federal agencies, Congress, and
the pubic regarding ideas for the directive be made publicly available in
order to foster the collaborative principle called for in Obama’s January 21
memo. The Obama administration’s actions today leave such disclosure
uncertain.

“The open government community was energized by President Obama’s early
commitment to making the federal government more transparent,” said Patrice
McDermott, Director of OpenTheGovernment.org. “We are eager to see his
promise of openness and accountability become reality, and we are ready to
work with the administration to reach that goal.”

“We believe the Obama administration is committed to making government as
transparent, collaborative, and participatory as possible,” said Gary D.
Bass, Executive Director of OMB Watch. “We are pleased the administration
seems ready to employ transparent, collaborative, and participatory
techniques in identifying ways to achieve these goals. At the same time, we
would like to have a complete understanding of the process the
administration will use in developing the recommendations to the president.”



-- 
Diedre Conkling
diedre08 at gmail.com
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