Oklahoma City, Cherokee elected officials pledge to comply with spirit, letter of state open government laws

Two more recently elected municipal officials have signed FOI Oklahoma's Open Government Pledge.

Ed Shadid was elected to the Oklahoma City Council's Ward 2 seat. He is the first member of the council to sign the pledge.

Donna Irvin won the Ward 2 position on the Cherokee City Commission. She joins Ward 1 Commissioner Diana Williamson in having signed the pledge.

Each promised that they and the public bodies they were elected to govern "will comply with not only the letter but also the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."

They also promised "to support at every opportunity the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government so that they can efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power."

The addition of Irvin and Shadid brings the number of pledge signers elected to municipal offices this year to 18.

FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications