Is Transparency Going Backwards In North Dakota Government?

For many years, important gains were made on transparency and open government - but recent cases have exposed efforts by some to bring back secretive meetings and outsourced operations.

In the last several months, I’ve written about the various cases of governments not acting in the most transparent ways as a means of skirting laws and rules designed to ensure the public knows what their elected officials are doing with their tax dollars.

From the dysfunction at Dickinson State University:

Obstinance By Higher Ed Officials Will Just Make Things Worse

To the conflicts between the legislature and the State Auditors’ Office:

At What Point Does It Become A Cover-up?

To the obvious insider conflict of interest at the Bioscience Association of North Dakota:

Ag Commissioner: BioScience Grant Program Needs Fixed Next Session

New Ethics Commission Complaint Filed Against Legislator

To the lack of transparency with the Legacy Fund investments:

State Officials Continue To Ignore Requests Related To Investment Funds

To outsourcing public relations to private consultants to avoid open meetings laws:

Port: Secret meetings on carbon capture projects are not a good look

Tribune: Controversial legislator meetings to be opened to the media

Oz: "Nothing To See Behind The Curtain"

School Choice Task Force Needs Transparency

There has been a pattern and perception developing that elected officials are more and more willing to operate in a more secretive way to avoid citizen criticism.

Now, comes another interesting situation that I cannot take credit for reporting, because The North Dakota Monitor is doing all the work to uncover some troubling actions taken by a…