Annual Report for 2010
Authored by Toby Nixon, WCOG President
Washington Coalition for Open Government, the leading protector of open government in Washington, had another very impressive year in 2010:
- We fought hard in the courts to preserve access to public records, including winning a landmark 8-1 decision in the U.S. Supreme Court preserving open government and the peoples' right to know, and filed amicus briefs in nearly a dozen cases in Washington's appellate courts (see page 6 and 7 for these and other important legal actions);
- We tracked over 75 bills in the state legislature (including 30 high priority bills) and won significant legislative victories in the face of misguided efforts to limit the access to government and the people's right to know (see pages 4 and 5);
- We expanded public outreach with our first annual Washington State Open Government Conference, six new Open Government Forums throughout Washington, many speaking engagements at events throughout the state, and a completely redesigned and easy-to-use web site (see pages 2 and 3); and,
- We added a new award program for Legislator of the Year to encourage Washington's senators and representatives to work toward expanding access and transparency (see page 9).
The impact of our expanded outreach efforts was seen in significantly increased membership and sponsorship – dues-paying membership in the Coalition increased from 132 at the end of 2009 to 200 at the end of 2010, and the number of individuals and organizations making significant contributions in the higher sponsorship levels grew as well. The number of individuals signed up for the free "Citizen's Network" email list dropped from 575 to 488 (many of which became members), but the number of individuals who "Like" our Facebook page grew to well over 300. The number of individuals and government officials seeking advice from the Coalition on open government issues continued to increase, and we expanded our direct intervention to influence the behavior of government agencies by sending more letters and making personal visits. The Coalition's respect and influence continued to grow, evidenced by the mobilization of organizations representing government agencies to attempt to counter our efforts and make it more difficult for the public to know what the government is doing.
Past Annual Reports
Annual Report for 2009
Annual Report for 2008
Annual Report for 2007
Annual Report for 2006
Annual Report for 2005
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Jefferson Level
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Platinum Level