02-15-2001 Facilities committee's move to close board of education meetings is wrong

To the Editor:

At the Thursday, Feb. 8. meeting of the Bedford Central board of education, the board president announced that the Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee had decided to close their meetings to the public. According to their previous guidelines, work sessions were open for public observation. The pubic was able to give information to the committee but not during meetings. Those guidelines expressed that, "the committee believes strongly in the need, for broad community awareness  of the issues involved in developing a responsive and responsible plan.


As a citizen and not as a trustee on the board of education
I believe that the rationale for New York states Open Meetings Law (The Sunshine Law) should be revisited.
I wish to address the spirit of the law and not the specific question as to whether  it is legal to, close meetings of an advisory committee of the board of education since it does not appear to be a - public body" as defined in the law.

This law went into effect in 1977. It reaffirms citizens' right to know how our government operates. The law gives the public the right to attend meetings of public bodies. listen to the debates and watch the decision-making, process in action. The legislative declaration in the Open Meetings Law (section 100) states. "It is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that the public business be performed in an open and public manner and that the citizens of this state be fully aware of and able to observe the Performance of public officials and attend and listen to the deliberations and decisions that go. into the making of public policy."

As a citizen, I do not believe the decision to close the meetings to the public was proper.

Joseph G . Whelan J r.
Bedford Village