Budget Committee Confidentially QuestionedBlind Brook Focus
By Nathan Marrow
At the February 23 Blind Brook Board of Education meeting, Westmore News publisher Richard Abel told the Board, “Obviously you have forgotten about the first amendment.” Although three Board members had attended a forum on open government organized by the Westmore News, Abel said, the Board had still required its Citizen’s Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC) to sign a confidentiality agreement.
While the committee’s introductory meetings were public, the CBAC now meets behind closed doors. The CBAC is legally allowed to meet in secret, and is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, because it serves in a purely advisory capacity, according to Robert Freeman, the Executive Director of the New York State Committee on Open Government.....
....Jananne Abel, editor of the Westmore News and author of an editorial criticizing the Board’s secrecy, responded by saying, “That’s always an excuse for not making a meeting public.” She also said, “I’m not sure what they’re trying to hide, but in this difficult economy, the more openness they can have about district finances, the better.”
Kaplan said, “As to why the Abels have this particular bent…some people might say that controversy is good for selling newspapers. That’s one possible reason.”....
....Dr. Richard Buzin, the last Board of Education member to comment on the agreement at the February 23 meeting, said, “I think it’s much ado about nothing frankly.”
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