SOME MEMBERS OF THE WOODBURY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WERE TAKEN TO TASK BY A FELLOW BOARD MEMBER FOR ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING THE STATE’S OPEN MEETING LAW LAST WEEK.
MATTHEW UNG, JEREMY TAYLOR AND KEITH RADIG APPEARED TOGETHER AT A WOODBURY COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING LAST THURSDAY, APRIL 13TH AT THEIR PARTY HEADQUARTERS IN SIOUX CITY.
THAT’S A QUORUM OF THREE OF THE FIVE BOARD MEMBERS.
BOARD MEMBER MARTY POTTEBAUM, WHO IS A DEMOCRAT, QUESTIONED UNG ABOUT THE GATHERING AT THE END OF TUESDAY’S BOARD MEETING:
OC………OPENNESS OF GOVERNMENT. ;23
POTTEBAUM SAYS ONE OF THE MEMBERS SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE MEETING, BUT THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.
UNG SAYS HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, INCLUDING ROCKY DEWITT, WHO DID NOT ATTEND, WERE INVITED:
OC………CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE. :23
THE WOODBURY COUNTY REPUBLICAN WEBSITE LISTED THE MEETING AND STATED ONLINE THAT THE FOUR REPUBLICAN SUPERVISORS HAD BEEN INVITED TO SPEAK.
PARTY CHAIRMAN KEVIN ALONS FAILED TO SEND OUT A PUBLIC NOTICE ABOUT THE MEETING TO LOCAL MEDIA.
IRONICALLY, SUSAN STEWART, CHAIR OF THE IOWA PUBLIC INFORMATION BOARD, WAS AT THE MEETING, BUT FAILED TO NOTIFY THE SUPERVISORS THAT THEY WERE IN VIOLATION OF THE STATE PUBLIC MEETINGS LAW.
STEWART SHOWED UP AT THE BEGINNING OF TUESDAY’S BOARD MEETING AND GAVE EACH SUPERVISOR A COPY OF THE IOWA OPEN MEETINGS HANDBOOK.