Viewpoint: Michigan ranks among worst for government transparency. Legislature must fix that

Wes Smith
·2 min read

When there was a change in leadership in Michigan’s legislature earlier this year, hope rose again in the hearts of citizens who want a more transparent state government.

Maybe, it was thought by those citizens, the time had finally come for Michigan to join almost every other state in expecting their legislature and governor to be subject to our open records law. Maybe, they thought, adding hope upon hope, new laws would be passed requiring other government officials to respond to records requests in a timely manner without outrageous fees. But, alas, it’s nearly November and there has not been even a small ray of sunshine in our legislature or governor’s mansion.

Michigan remains at the bottom for government openness among the 50 states. The Center for Public Integrity gave the Great Lakes State an “F” grade in 2015. In 2020, Michigan ranked 47th out of 50 for anti-corruption measures for public officials, according to the Coalition for Integrity.

News reports of former House Speaker Rick Johnson being convicted of accepting bribes and Inkster Mayor Patrick Wimberly being indicted on bribery charges, along with numerous other accounts of unethical behavior on the part of elected officials in our state, illustrate the importance of openness and transparency in government.

Wes Smith is publisher of View Newspaper Group and president of the Michigan Press Association's board of directors.
Wes Smith is publisher of View Newspaper Group and president of the Michigan Press Association's board of directors.

In 2022, Michigan voters overwhelmingly supported a ballot initiative to require state elected officials to provide financial disclosure statements. In a recent study, done on behalf of the Michigan Press Association, there was data showing Michigan voters want more information about what their elected officials are doing. Nearly 9 out of 10 Michigan adults believe taxpayers should have access to the meeting calendars of state representatives and their correspondence with outside organizations as well as the budgets of these officeholders.

Leaders from the Michigan Press Association recently have reached out to legislative leaders and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requesting action with specific amendments to improve the open government climate in our state.

The Michigan Press Association has drafted — and this newspaper fully supports — the following crucial measures to bolster transparency, accountability, and integrity in Michigan government:

  • Extending Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the executive and legislative branches.

  • Requiring far more timely response to FOIA requests. Citizens and media outlets routinely endure very long and unnecessary delays in obtaining clearly public information from government agencies.

  • Preventing exorbitant fees for FOIA responses. Michigan transparency is severely restricted by often outrageously high fees public bodies attempt to charge for FOIA responses.

As citizens of Michigan, you can and should hold your government officials accountable. We urge you to contact your legislators and tell them to move forward to improve Michigan’s open government laws to allow taxpayers the access they deserve when it comes to the people’s business. It’s high time to get Michigan out of the basement when it comes to ethics in government. We implore you to act now.

Wes Smith is publisher of View Newspaper Group and president of the Michigan Press Association's board of directors.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan ranks among worst for transparency. Legislature must fix that