Cranston Herald Op-Ed: Session offers a glimpse in leadership styles

 
This article originally appeared in the Cranson Herald on June 19, 2024, and was written by Ian Donnis.

Below is Common Cause Rhode Island executive director John Marion’s quote regarding the Access to Public Record Act reform and why it was unsuccessful in the General Assembly.  

“Here’s John Marion, executive director of Common Cause of Rhode Island, on why the APRA bill sponsored by Sen. Louis DiPalma (D-Middletown) and Rep. Pat Serpa (D-West Warwick) did not advance, and whether proposing dozens of changes made this a heavier lift:

“We won’t see APRA reform in 2024 because there was too much opposition, particularly from the executive branch at the state level,” Marion said via email. “It was death by a thousand cuts. There is always a risk in proposing omnibus legislation; you can’t get what you don’t ask for, but on the other hand you create a bigger target for your opponents to take aim at. Asking for everything was a winning strategy last time we reformed APRA because although we had to compromise on a number of things, we got most of what we asked for in 2012. Clearly, governments at all levels are skeptical of, if not downright hostile to, public records reform. I suspect there are mixed motivations, including a belief that it will create more work, and possibly reveal more about their work.”

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