The Foundation: Flipping the Script on Transparency

The very first thing people should understand is that transparency is not a favor granted by the government—it is a right owned by the people. For too long, the system has operated in reverse. Today, the burden is on the citizen to know the exact date, the specific time, and the “magic words” just to see what their government is doing. I believe we have it mostly backwards. My mission is to flip that script so that public records are public at the point of creation.

Sunshine as the Default, Not the Exception

In a truly open government, access is the rule and the request is the exception.

• The “Exception to the Exception”: Under my platform, a GRAMA request should be a rare necessity. A GRAMA appeal should be the exception to that exception, and the courtroom should be the absolute last resort—not a common destination for citizens seeking the truth.
  
• Bypassing the Gatekeepers: I’ve learned the hard way that even an honest clerk can be thwarted by institutional “shields.” When a system allows a clerk to define away a public record or hide behind vague statutes, accountability dies. We must remove the “human roadblock” by ensuring digital records, recordings, and filings are available to the public the moment they are generated.