The Connecticut Foundation for Open Government (CFOG) believes in the principle that open, transparent government is in the public interest. Some of our current board members share their thoughts…
“Why does open, transparent government matter? As Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.’ Unfortunately, the converse is also true.”
-Mitchell Pearlman
“Having an open, transparent government is what enables citizens to hold our leaders accountable. It is how we can understand how our tax dollars get spent, whether the programs and policies our leaders support are delivering as promised, and how decisions are made about the resources and systems that affect us all. We rely on our government to manage critical things – from roads and schools to regulations meant to protect us to the safety net services that support many people. The only way we can monitor how they are being managed is through openness and transparency.”
– Arielle Levin Becker
“When a local school board, legislative committee or any government agency makes a habit of withholding records or meeting behind closed doors, the potential for abuse grows. Without public scrutiny, officials who conduct business in secret not only lose the input of their constituents, they raise suspicion about their work. In the end, their secrecy erodes trust. That is the real danger.”
– Bob Frahm
“Because, as Thomas Jefferson said: ‘Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.’ Secrecy breeds tyranny.”
– Jim Smith