Lend a hand to transparency

On Giving Tuesday, support NMFOG’s battle for public access to government information

Give today — so you won’t be taken tomorrow.

At the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, we work every day to make sure you, the public, is not taken advantage of by officials working behind closed doors.

As the leading expert on the state’s open meetings and records laws, the nonpartisan NMFOG works to improve and expand public access to information. We do this by educating the public about the importance of transparency and the injurious consequences of secrecy in government. We advocate to protect and strengthen New Mexico laws and policies that guarantee the public’s right to know. We act as watchdogs over the state’s sunshine laws, often weighing in on open-government matters before the courts.

And every year, we answer more than 500 phone calls and emails on our free hot line, helping private citizens, government officials, journalists and members of the business community keep government accountable.

This Nov. 27, the National Day for Giving, is an opportunity for New Mexicans to participate in a worldwide day with one purpose — celebrating generosity by giving back. We ask that you think of FOG on this important day. When you make a donation to NMFOG, even a small one, you show your support for open and transparent government — a basic tenet of democracy.

Why is this so crucial? Take a look at how our efforts have kept New Mexicans from being “taken” just over the past 12 months.

FOG has been involved in half a dozen legal cases to protect the public’s right to know — from advocating that public records remain public even when in the hands of private contractors, to holding officials accountable when they only partially respond to Inspection of Public Records Act requests, to urging officials to release candidates’ names of those seeking key roles at our universities, as required by law.

This past summer, NMFOG worked with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission to rescind a new policy that delayed the posting of hearings transcripts — forcing individuals to often pay hundreds of dollars to a private firm for those records.

FOG hosted a gubernatorial forum in February with the goal of getting candidates and their views about transparency on the record.

NMFOG is a respected voice in the Legislature and the courts. A recent Court of Appeals opinion on an important public records issue cited NMFOG’s friend-of-court brief.

We hosted another successful William S. Dixon Freedom Awards luncheon that honored several New Mexicans with the William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award for their actions advancing the cause of transparency and First Amendment freedoms. Our 2018 honorees included Jorja Armijo-Brasher, an advocate for senior citizens; the Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Urias & Ward PA law firm; State Sen. Jim White; and KOAT-TV’s Nancy Laflin.

Earlier this month, we held our sixth annual Continuing Legal Education seminar to provide attorneys, government officials and the public with updated tools to access open meetings and public records.

FOG relies on a panel of lawyers who donate their time for legal cases and who help with the hotline. But other litigation costs can add up quickly.

To continue these activities and do more, we need your support. On Giving Tuesday we have made it easy for you to contribute. Go the https://nmfog.org and tap on the DONATE button. NMFOG is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

We are proud of our work, but NMFOG can’t do it alone. Transparent, accountable government is a core value in democracy, which can’t succeed without an informed citizenry. Together, you and FOG play a critical role in making that happen.

So please, this Giving Tuesday heed our message to give today — so none of us gets taken tomorrow.