Final thoughts

This is my last day as Executive Director of Freedom of Information Oklahoma.

I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together during the past three and a half years. We’ve hosted dozens of training seminars about the Open Records Act, Open Meeting Act, and the First Amendment, brought in guest speakers, awards dinners, First Amendment Congresses. partnered with the RCFP Local Legal Initiative, and so much more. We’ve built a new website rich with resources for the public, including hours of free video content and an open records database. Throughout it all, we have maintained two overarching goals: (1) educate the public and (2) hold the government accountable, and I think we’ve succeeded at both.

While transparency violations may make the news, the truth is, those are exceptions and not the rule. In fact, I have found that support for government transparency and a driving desire to do the right thing is often strongest from our government officials and rank and file public employees. Many of the calls and emails I receive each week are from public servants seeking clarification or assistance so that they can help a constituent or ensure a board is complying with the law. This has been particularly true during the past two years of the pandemic, as many public entities have struggled to operate within the bounds of the law.

The fight for transparency is a team effort. Thankfully, FOI Oklahoma is graced by a strong board of directors and a diverse network of supporters and allies throughout the state who fight tirelessly to protect the people’s right to access public information.

Esteemed journalist and nonprofit manager Kurt Gwartney will now be leading FOI Oklahoma, and I can’t imagine a better fit for the position. Kurt’s career has given him years of experience and expertise with our state’s transparency laws, and I am confident he will be a tremendous asset to the organization and to the cause.

Until we meet again,
Andy Moore