Shine on, shine on, There is work to be done in the dark before dawn

While my passion for sunshine has not waivered, it seems like time to work on this blog becomes harder and harder to find. But given that this is Sunshine Week, I would be really disrespectful of all this blog stands for it I didn’t stop to take note.

Sunshine in the state is no easier to find than it was when i started the blog years ago. There’s a great story that ran on Sunday in the Southeast Missourian about how one of our legislators initially said his emails were open to all, but then backed down when the paper requested it. A case has not yet reached the state’s highest court where a decision on whether individual legislators are subject to the law could be decided. But this just shows the difference between the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law” and given that it’s the public policy of the sunshine law in this State that records of public governmental bodies be open to the public “unless otherwise provided by law,” it’s hard to imagine what law would be in place making such emails generally closed.

Anyway, what I want to note is that there’s an observance of Sunshine Week being sponsored by Missouri Sunshine Coalition Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the Carnegie Room of the Central Library (St. Louis Public Library), 1301 Olive St. The subject will be body cameras on law enforcement. If you are near there, I urge you to go. A Local Hero award will also be made by the coalition that night. If you are near St. Louis, and if you support the sunshine law, please go and help reinforce to the public (and to public officials) that the sunshine law matters!