Council candidates in Edmond, Norman sign Open Government Pledge

Council candidates in Edmond, Norman sign Open Government Pledge

Municipal candidates in Edmond and Norman have pledged that they will comply with the letter and spirit of the state’s open government laws if elected to their respective seats in Tuesday’s primary

And Alexandra Scott, who was elected to Norman’s Ward 8 seat last year, also recently signed FOI Oklahoma’s Open Government Pledge for local candidates.

In signing, each candidate also promised “to support at every opportunity” the state’s public policy that “the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government so that they can efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power.”

FOI Oklahoma began the pledge in 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.

Voters have elected 110 of the 220 pledge signers who had been on a ballot through the Nov. 6 election. In some races, all the candidates had signed the pledge. And some have been re-elected.

In Edmond, Devyn Denton, a registered trauma nurse, is one of five candidates seeking Edmond’s Ward 1 seat. Incumbent Victoria Caldwell is not seeking re-election.

In Norman, attorney Alison Petrone is one of three candidates for Norman’s Ward 3 seat. Incumbent Robert Castleberry is not seeking re-election.

[Also see OKC Council candidates sign Open Government Pledge.]

Runoffs will be held April 2 if no one receives more than half the votes in the primary. City council elections are nonpartisan.

Our Revolution Oklahoma has endorsed Denton and Petrone. The progressive nonprofit’s candidate questionnaire asked if they would comply with the spirit and letter of the open government laws and included a link to FOI Oklahoma’s pledge.

FOI Oklahoma invites all local candidates to sign the pledge on the statewide nonprofit’s website, where a list of signers also can be found.

Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
@Joey_Senat

Mass Communication Law in Oklahoma

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, its board of directors or the commentator’s employer. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.