Tennessee Open Meetings Act Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

26 Jul, 2015

Williamson County commissioners hold private meetings to interview school board replacement

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:49:58-05:00July 26, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: Franklin Home Page, Gregg Lawrence, Johnston v. Metro. Gov't of Nashville, Kathy Danner, Knoxville News Sentinel v. Knox County Commission, private meetings, Robert Cook, Tennessee Open Meetings Act, The Tennessean, Williamson County, Williamson County Commission Commission, Williamson County School Board|1 Comment

Two Williamson County commissioners are holding private meetings with candidates to decide who should fill an open position on the Williamson County School Board, but the county commission attorney says their meetings do not violate the Open Meetings Act, according to two stories by media outlets. The Tennessean: Williamson Schools candidate raises transparency concerns Franklin Home Page: Opinions vary on transparency of school board candidate vetting Williamson County Commissioner Kathy Danner Williamson County Commissioner Gregg Lawrence The two commissioners, Kathy Danner and Gregg Lawrence, are responsible for jointly deciding who should fill the remainder of the term of a board member who is leaving. The practice in the past has [...]

18 Aug, 2014

Tennessee Open Meetings Act more than a checklist

By Deborah Fisher|2014-09-10T09:06:40-05:00August 18, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Eddie Overholt, Elisha Hodge, Greene County, OORC, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|1 Comment

It’s not every day that a citizen gets cuffed, arrested and ejected from a public meeting in Tennessee. But that’s what happened, famously, to Eddie Overholt in Greene County last month where he faces charges of disrupting a public meeting and resisting arrest. I say famously because Overholt’s arrest, and the events leading up to it, were captured on video that has gone viral through Facebook and has appeared on national and international news sites, including Russia Today. Deborah FisherTCOG Executive Director His crime? He asked members of the Industrial Development Board of Greeneville and Greene County to speak louder so citizens could hear. The furor has lessons [...]

5 Aug, 2014

Open Records Counsel tells Greene County mayor citizens must be able hear at meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2014-09-10T09:06:10-05:00August 5, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Alan Broyles, economic development, Elisha Hodge, Greene County, industrial development board, OORC, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|0 Comments

The state's Open Records Counsel warned Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles in a letter Monday that the law requires citizens to be able to hear deliberations and decisions at public meetings, and the Greene County Industrial Development Board which he chairs should consult with its attorney after 59 citizen complaints over a July 18 meeting. Elisha Hodge, state of Tennessee's Office of Open Records Counsel While her letter made clear that an inaudible public meeting would be in violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, she chose not to address the arrest of citizen Eddie Overholt, who was kicked out of the July meeting, cuffed and charged with [...]

19 Jul, 2014

Cuffing and arresting a citizen – not exactly spirit of Open Meetings Act

By Deborah Fisher|2014-08-06T07:44:16-05:00July 19, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Alan Broyles, Greene County, industrial development board, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|3 Comments

Greene County Industrial Development Board members were not using microphones, and sat at a table where some had backs to the public. Throwing out, cuffing and arresting someone who asked them to speak louder so people in the back could hear? Not exactly the spirit of the Open Meetings Act. Details are in The Greeneville Sun's story this morning. Photo by Kristen Buckles, The Greeneville SunEddie Bruce Overholt, of Cocke County, protests as he is removed from the July 18 meeting of the Greene County Industrial Development Board (IDB) by a Greeneville police officer after Overholt spoke out following a warning from Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles. Broyles, the chairman [...]

18 Jul, 2014

Citizen kicked out of public meeting after asking board to speak louder
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Citizen kicked out of public meeting after asking board to speak louder

Open Meetings

Citizen kicked out of public meeting after asking board to speak louder

By Deborah Fisher|2014-08-06T07:44:58-05:00July 18, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: Alan Broyles, Eddie Overholt, Greene County, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|1 Comment

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=697098480327636&set=o.240125856178528&type=2&theater Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles ordered police to escort a man out of a public meeting of the Greene County Industrial Development Board after the man asked the board to "speak up" so members of the audience could hear. The man, reported to be Eddie Bruce Overholt on the Save the Nolichucky Facebook page, made his request right after Broyles, the chairman of the board, told the audience, "If we have any more outbursts from the audience, you will be removed from the building." Police escorted the man out and said he was being arrested for disrupting a public meeting. The meeting concerned the re-application to Tennessee Department of [...]

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