Welcome to the 21st century... NYC Council Member Jimmy Vacca will soon be chairing the first Tech Committee Hearing on Webcasting All Public & CB Meetings. This is one step towards government in the sunshine.
On Monday, February 24th, the City Council’s Committee on Technology, chaired by Council Member James Vacca, will hold an oversight hearing regarding the implementation of legislation passed in 2013 which states that all public meetings – including those of city agencies, committees, commissions and task forces – must be webcast by March 1st, 2014. The committee will also discuss one of Vacca’s bills, which would require community boards to webcast all of their full board meetings.
Vacca, who was District Manager of Community Board 10 for 26 years prior to becoming a Council Member, believes web-casting board meetings will greatly increase public access to government by allowing people who cannot otherwise attend a community board meeting to stay informed about the board’s activities.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and representatives from the Department of Information Technology & Communications, Community Boards across the city, the Campaign Finance Board and several good government groups are expected to attend the hearing and testify.
“Community Boards are the level of government nearest to constituents, so everyone deserves to know what’s happening at their meetings,” said Council Member James Vacca, who was District Manager of Community Board 10 for 26 years before being elected to the City Council. “Webcasting board meetings will increase transparency, public involvement and bring government that much closer to the people.”
http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=297231&GUID=67AD8…