What is transparency and why is it important?

What do you know about transparency in government? It’s a hot topic that elicits passionate responses from a lot of people. Basically, it means openness in government. Transparency promotes accountability for citizens.

Have you ever been to a local city council meeting? This is the chance for residents in that area to express their views and learn what is going on in their community. This is where discussions happen that will impact residents. If there was no transparency in your local government, your city council or mayor could do what ever they wanted with an issue and turn it into law before the public had a chance to voice their opinion. It’s scary to think what our life would be like without a say in the laws of our country.

Our government is meant to be participatory and transparency helps the government be more effective. It promotes interaction with the citizens it represents, soliciting feedback on issues and then using that information to make new laws. That’s a pretty basic definition and it might not always seem to work that way, but it should.

Transparency means different things to different people. Most people would agree that transparency has to do with disclosure. It provides a way for people to access information so they can be informed about a certain topic or issue. It’s supposed to allow citizens to “see through” their government. Do you think it works that way in your city?

Transparency is an important idea that is meant to connect people to their government. Get involved in your local community and stay up to date on new laws and changes in your area.