Common Cause is a nonpartisan citizen's organization whose goal is to ensure open, honest, accountable and effective government at the federal, state, and local levels. Selectmen Chairwoman Valerie Wormell and Town IT Director Christopher McClure attended the ceremony to accept the award on behalf of Westford.
“I am thrilled Westford won this award. It shows the town is taking advantage of the technology available to us,” said Wormell.
The event is part of Common Cause’s on-going Massachusetts Campaign for Open Government, which periodically reviews the Internet presence of all 351 cities and towns in the state.
McClure said a big part of the Web sites’ success is the ease of access by town committees.
“Every department has access to updating the Web site right on their desktop,” said McClure.
The Massachusetts Campaign for Open Government’s goal is to make access to information about local and state government actions and decisions as easy as possible for every citizen, by raising public awareness about the Massachusetts Open Meeting law and the Massachusetts Public Records Law, by supporting changes to those laws to increase access, and by encouraging greater use of the Internet by local and state governments as a mechanism for providing access.
Criteria used for whether a municipality has posted the key governance records online includes the governing body’s agenda and minutes, fiscal year budget information, bylaws, codes or ordinances, Town Meeting warrant and results. Wormell believes having a well-informed electorate not only opens up the process for residents but also allows for better decisions at Town Meeting.
“We are trying harder than ever to make government process open to residents,” said Wormell.
McClure said they will continue to improve the Web site and add new features like the upcoming voters database, online bill paying and document search database.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Kathleen Kirwin
Quelle/Source: Wicked Local Westford, 20.03.2008
