I am a strong advocate for government transparency. As I have written before, one of the greatest causes of conflict between citizens and their governments has been, in my estimation, a lack of clear communication between these two integral parties. Transparency can help to change that dynamic by improving the ability of citizens to know [...]

Will 21st century public meetings law in Oregon be bound by 20th century definitions? The City of Lake Oswego seems to hope so.
Oregon has a reputation as a state with a high degree of transparency, thanks largely to its open meetings laws (see ORS 192.610, or the Oregon Department of Justice’s Public Meetings Handbook). Yet [...]

TriMet’s new light rail alignment through downtown would not have happened as smoothly without a highly effective public outreach program. Yet how do practitioners become equipped for this kind of work?
Recently I had the pleasure of joining the local chapter of the International Association for Public Participation (also known as IAP2) for a social event [...]