Transparency NJ

Superior Court Assignment Judge Lawrence M. Lawson issued a written opinion yesterday in my Open Public Records and Meetings Act lawsuit against the Keyport Borough Council and the Borough’s record custodian (Paff v. Keyport Borough Council, et al, Docket No. MON-L-3317-07). The opinion, along with the trial briefs, exhibits and other case documents are on-line […]

One thing that has always troubled me is when a record custodian’s official request form requires a requestor to always certify that he or she has never been convicted of an indictable offense, regardless of what types of records are requested. While N.J.S.A. 47:1A-2.2 prohibits convicted criminals from using OPRA to get personal information on […]

Editorial: Daily Journal (Vineland, New Jersey)December 10, 2008 Transparency makes for good government Democracy works best when the public is informed and has access to government information. An open government is transparent, which allows citizens access to public meetings and public records to find out how elected and appointed officials conduct business and spend taxpayers’ […]

PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITYTwo of 17 Atlantic towns settle public records suits By EDWARD VAN EMBDEN Staff Writer, 856-649-2072 Published: Thursday, December 18, 2008 A civil suit brought against 17 Atlantic County municipalities for alleged violations of the Open Public Records Act has resulted in two towns changing the way they conduct business. Both Buena […]

One of the most secretive areas in local government is the police department’s “internal affairs” process. Through several OPRA requests, I have obtained internal affairs records from the Ocean Township Police Department in Ocean County (i.e. Waretown). I have uploaded here, public filings regarding OTPD disciplinary actions from 2004 through 2007. There are two different […]