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	<title>Cecil Times &#187; open meetings</title>
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		<title>CECIL CHATTER: State Flunks &#8220;Integrity&#8221; Test; Smigiel Abstains on Pay Boost</title>
		<link>https://ceciltimes.com/2012/03/cecil-county-chatter-state-flunks-integrity-test-smigiel-abstains-on-pay/</link>
		<comments>https://ceciltimes.com/2012/03/cecil-county-chatter-state-flunks-integrity-test-smigiel-abstains-on-pay/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:06:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nancy Schwerzler]]></dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ceciltimes.com/?p=2132</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Maryland Gets D Minus Grade on &#8220;Integrity&#8221; Report Card Anyone with short, or long, memories of political scandals in Maryland knows that the state has a long and sordid history of corrupt elected officials. But a new study finds the state’s laws, regulations and access to public information contribute to a climate of ethical challenges that rates Maryland with a D- grade on public “integrity.” The survey evaluated public information access, legislative and executive accountability, ethics enforcement, political campaign finance, lobbying disclosure and auditing, among other factors. The report was a joint project by the Center for Public Integrity—a respected, journalistic-oriented Washington, DC non-profit—Global Integrity, and Public Radio International. Overall, Maryland’s D- or 61 percent grade ranked the state at 40 of the 50 states for public integrity—or 10th from the bottom of the scale. When we were in school, a D- was very much a flunking grade. And on individual components of the overall score, Maryland ranked even lower. The survey gave Maryland an “F” grade, ranking 46th out of all the states, for its access to public information. Each state agency handles its own requests for access to public information, with differing interpretations of the law, and many [&#8230;]]]></description>
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		<title>Cecil County Commissioners Slapped on Wrist by State Open Meetings Panel</title>
		<link>https://ceciltimes.com/2011/05/cecil-county-commissioners-slapped-on-wrist-by-state-open-meetings-panel/</link>
		<comments>https://ceciltimes.com/2011/05/cecil-county-commissioners-slapped-on-wrist-by-state-open-meetings-panel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 May 2011 19:56:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Nancy Schwerzler]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Brian Lockhart]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://ceciltimes.com/?p=1349</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A state open meetings board has slapped the Cecil County Commissioners on the wrists for going behind closed doors in 2010 to hire a lobbyist to oppose two bills pushed in Annapolis by state Sen. E.J. Pipkin and Del. Michael Smigiel, both R-36, that would have limited the powers of county government leaders. In a report filed April 11, 2011, the state Open Meetings Compliance Board concluded that the County Commissioners “made an effort to comply with the formalities of the Act” but that their actual closed-door discussions went beyond the exceptions they cited under the Open Meetings law when they decided to go into closed sessions. The findings carry no penalties or fines but serve as a slap on the wrist to the County Commissioners. Since the report was sent to the county, the Commissioners have been noticeably careful to cite full chapter and verse of permissible exceptions of the open meetings law before going into closed-door discussions at their weekly Tuesday worksessions. The county paid $5,380 to a Baltimore attorney, Lawrence Haislip, of the Miles and Stockbridge law firm, to represent the Commissioners in their response to the complaint to the open meetings board, according to documents obtained [&#8230;]]]></description>
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