Despite receiving nearly all its funding from taxpayers, Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau refuses to admit it is a “public agency” as defined in the Kansas Open Records Act. The city backs this agency and its interpretation of this law, which is in favor of government secrecy and in opposition to the letter and spirit of the Open Records Act.
In the following excerpt from the KAKE Television public affairs program This Week in Kansas, this issue was discussed. Randy Brown, who is chair of the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government and former opinion page editor of the Wichita Eagle appeared along with myself and host Tim Brown.
Brown said this episode was “one of the silliest things I have ever seen. Clearly, Go Wichita fits under the definition of a public agency.”
He also said “The idea that an agency like this that gets millions of dollars from the city would not agree — willingly and happily — to comply with the Open Records Act is really some of the greatest governmental foolishness that I have ran across.”
Brown also said that the level of understanding of the Kansas Open Records Act evidenced by the Wichita City Council is “appalling.”
Offering advice to the council, Brown said that transparency is good for government, as it creates public trust. When agencies go to great lengths to avoid complying, it looks like they’re doing something wrong, even though there probably is no wrongdoing.
Although he did not mention him by name, Brown addressed a concern expressed by Wichita City Council Member Pete Meitzner (district 2, east Wichita). He accurately summarized Meitzner’s revealed attitude towards government transparency and open records as “democracy is just too much trouble to deal with.”
Tim Brown is the host of This Week in Kansas. The show airs at 9:00 am Sundays on KAKE channel 10, and complete episodes may be viewed at KAKE Television This Week in Kansas.
More information on this matter may be found at
- Open records, rights of Kansans disrespected at Wichita City Council
- Wichita open records issue buried
- For Wichita city government, open records are not valued
- Wichita open records intent not what it seems
- Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau should follow Kansas Open Records Act
- City of Wichita and the Kansas Open Records Act
- Wichita’s open records policy is contrary to the interests of citizens
- Wichita Downtown Development Corporation and City of Wichita refuse to follow Kansas Open Records Act
- Kansas open records examined
- Kansas open records law needs an overhaul