Framingham Receives Award from Common Cause

FRAMINGHAM, MA -- The Town of Framingham was awarded a 2007 E-Government Award issued by Common Cause of Massachusetts.

The "Campaign for Open Government", issued a report last year for increased internet access to important governance public records. The records they looked for are: the city or town's governing body's agenda, governing body's minutes, general by-laws or ordinances, city/town budget, and, where applicable, town meeting warrant and town meeting results.

How easy is it for you to obtain information about what your local government does on your behalf? If you want to see how your local government in your community is spending your taxes, how easy is it for you to obtain a copy of the budget? If you are repeatedly woken up late at night by noise from a nearby business, how easy is it for you to find out if your community has a local noise ordinance? It should be as easy as sitting at a computer and clicking on a link.

In 72 Massachusetts municipalities, including Framingham, it is that easy. These cities and towns were recognized at a ceremony on March 15, 2007, at the State House. The ceremony took place during Sunshine Week, an annual event created to increase awareness about open government issues. Each municipality was presented with the 2007 E-Government Award by Common Cause Massachusetts Executive Director Pam Wilmot.

"We are please to be able to honor so many towns and cities this year," said Executive Director Wilmot. "Many communities rose to the challenge and significantly improved their websites over the past year."

With the growth of the internet, everyone should be able to obtain important information about their local government with the click of a mouse. Through a grassroots outreach, the Massachusetts Campaign for Open Government will work to enable people to do just that by dramatically increasing the number of commmunities that post key governance records online. This simple and inexpensive action will open local government to more people and will greatly improve everyone's ability to be a responsible, informed citizen.