It's high time for minutes, activists say

Portland Press Herald, August 28, 2007

(excerpt) Maine’s position as one of the few states in the country where public officials are not required to keep minutes of meetings is likely to be examined after a recent lawsuit highlighted the absence of a mandatory record.

The Legislature’s fledgling Right to Know Advisory Committee is expected to look into the issue this fall, and lobbyists for news organizations said they will be pushing for change.

The activity comes after a ruling by a Cumberland County Superior Court judge last week that parts of a July 25 closed- door Portland School Committee meeting, held during an ongoing financial and management crisis, were illegal when discussion strayed from protected personnel issues to public budget matters.

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram had challenged the legality of the private meeting under the state’s Freedom of Access Act.