2001 First Prize Essay Winner!

     For a democracy to function effectively, it is necessary that the citizens are cognizant of their government's actions. Our democratic nation was founded on the principle that our government is "of the people, by the people, and for the people." Yet a participatory citizenry must be an informed citizenry. The Freedom of Information laws have allowed the people of Connecticut to have access to government information, on both the local and state levels. This right allows citizens to have the opportunity to effectively and fully participate in the democratic process.

     Twenty-five years ago, this was not the case. A Connecticut resident could be barred from obtaining information. It was not uncommon to be told, "this is not public information". Now, citizens possess the right to attend local and state government agency meetings and obtain public documents. The Freedom of Information laws are remarkable when one ponders where we might be without them.

     The Watergate Scandal was a turning point in the political landscape of the United States. ~e public cried for openness, and that mandate called for a change in the way in which government functioned. The growing lack of confidence of citizens with their government on national, state and local fronts created a demand for the right to public scrutiny of the workings of government. With the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, all were given the "Right to Know." Connecticut citizens were given the opportunity to be an instrumental part of government. They now had the ability to bear witness and contest any decisions made by government officials. The shroud that had covered the Connecticut political arena was lifted in 1975.

     As a the student representative to the Region One Board of Education, I bear witness to the way in which people exercise their rights as outlined in the Freedom of Information Laws. Members of the public are always in attendance at the board meetings. They pose questions on the allocation of taxpayer money as outlined in the budget and comment on decisions made by the board regarding committee appointments. While I may not be a voting member of the board, I am allowed to voice student concerns in a monthly report, obtain needed information and participate in the discussion of student-related issues, such as the attendance policy, student smoking, or new course suggestions. All decisions voted on by the members of the Board in public session are witnessed by members of the press and public. So whether the agency is the Region One Board of Education or the State Department of Economic Development, all citizens are permitted to attend and thus monitor and scrutinize any decisions reached.

     The careful observance of public policy in Connecticut has brought about a more concerned, informed citizenry; a citizenry who realizes their vested interest in the actions of the government and how instrumental public involvement and awareness is. For most of us, that information comes through the newspapers and the media. Without access to important public information, scandal and corruption might go unnoticed, therefore compromising the very rights of the people. The Founding Fathers intent was to insure that every citizen be afforded their democratic rights and receive just representation in government. James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers, believed that "A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a farce of Tragedy--or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."  Since the passage of the Freedom Of Information Act twenty-five years ago, Connecticut citizens have armed themselves with the power of knowledge and become truly effective participants in state and local government.

2001 Second Place Essay Winner!

     "How have the residents of CT benefited from the state's freedom of information laws?"

     Citizen Bob of Bristol had not been aware that a Board of Education meeting was held, despite the fact that he had asked to be notified of upcoming meetings. One week after the gathering, he contacted the Board and requested the meeting's voting records. He waited two weeks before finally being informed that they had not yet been released to the public. Prior to 1975, Citizen Bob would have been rendered helpless in this situation; however, as a result of Connecticut's passage of the Freedom of Information Act, Citizen Bob is today protected from such closed government policies.

     The American government is supposed to be conducted "of the people, by the people, and for the people." It is fitting, then, that the people have access to records connected with their government. Under the Freedom of Information Act, residents may inspect payroll and expenditure records of public agencies in Connecticut, and thus, may learn precisely how their tax dollars are being put to use. Citizens may ask for reports delineating the duties of a particular agency, what statistics that agency has collected, and what action it has been taking, in order to better understand their government. They may request records relating to environmental hazards, taxes and labor relations, and in doing so, may learn more about issues directly relating to them.

     Whereas a government agency's meetings may once have been virtually clandestine operations, today, they must be announced at least one week in advance, and agendas must be made available at least twenty-four hours in advance. Citizens now are fully aware of gatherings, and are free to attend meetings without facing registration requirements. The public and the media are allowed to photograph, record, and broadcast these meetings, opening the door of government agencies to an even greater audience. Votes at meetings must be taken in public, and tabulations must be filed within forty-eight hours. Attendance records must also be made public. Both help to ensure that public agencies and the members who comprise them are working in favor of the masses.

     The residents of Connecticut are entitled to prompt access to inspect or copy public records. Several types of records must be filed within a specified period of time, for example, regular meeting minutes must be made available within seven days of a meeting. The Freedom of Information Act mandates that an agency respond to a request for information within four working days of receiving it. Connecticut's people no longer need deal with waiting an inordinate amount of time for requested information. They may, instead, locate the pertinent records of their local and state government agencies in a reasonable period of time.

     Had the Freedom of Information Act not been passed over a quarter of a century ago, Citizen Bob and the rest of the Connecticut population would discover themselves with few rights when it came to finding information about and gaining access to public agencies. The passage of the act has helped to "shine the light through government," and has essentially made Connecticut and its towns more open, and therefore, more democratic. Clearly, residents have benefited as Connecticut has become the paradigm of states of, by, and for the people.

2001 Third Place Essay Winner!

     The residents of Connecticut have enjoyed the benefits of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act since its passage in 1975. Connecticut's FOI laws enable a citizen to attend meetings of public agencies and inspect or obtain copies of public records, including those of police arrests. Citizens may file complaints with the FOI Commission when such benefits have been denied them. However, FOI laws provide Connecticut residents with far more than these legal advantages. These laws enhance our democratic society by promoting the freedoms of speech and the press, by preventing government secrecy, and by preventing the ignorance of the governed. As James Madison posited, "a popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy. . .a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

     Patrick Henry asserted that, "The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them ...." .Such liberties include the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. If the public is not honestly informed of the actions of their government, they are certainly unable to speak or write freely about governmental matters. A statement based on misinformation is hardly freely made. Connecticut's FOI laws prevent such misinformation in that they prevent the concealment of governmental wrongdoings, and hence prevent the wrongdoings themselves. In the Declaration of Independence, the American patriots clearly illustrated the value of public information in their verbal attack of King George III: "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures." Such actions would be legally assailable today, further proving how FOI laws help to modernize democracy.

     The FOI Act also enhances democracy in that it produces an informed and concerned populace. It aids in refuting the criticism of democracy as the rule of unenlightened masses, for as Thomas Jefferson said, "Whenever the people are well informed7 they can be trusted with their government, for whenever things go so far wrong to attract their notice, they can be relied on to set things right." Just as years of education ensure preparation for professional employment, citizens' knowledge of local government's practices and actions ensures an informed electorate.

     In short, the significance of Connecticut's Freedom of Information laws is not found solely in the weekly police blotter or at local board of education meetings. Rather, the significance of the nearly six hundred complaints filed yearly with the FOI Commission is that Connecticut's citizens have become aware of their rights and are willing to demand them. They have learned the value of free public information in democracy; they have learned that the "consent of the governed" is more powerful when the governed are well informed.