Pledge signers are elected to school boards for first time

Lynne Hardin and Melissa M. Abdo are the first school board members to have signed FOI Oklahoma's Open Government Pledge.
 
Hardin was elected Tuesday to lead the Oklahoma City School Board. She defeated incumbent Angela Monson by 169 votes, 3,376 to 3,207.
 
Abdo ran unopposed for the Jenks School Board.
 
As candidates, Abdo and Hardin promised that they and the school districts 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 pledged "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."
 
FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in spring 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.
 
Signers are listed on the FOI Oklahoma website.
 

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

Candidate for Oklahoma City School Board chair signs Open Government Pledge

Lynne Hardin has promised the Oklahoma City School Board will comply with the letter and spirit of the state's open government laws if voters elect her as its chairwoman on Tuesday.
 
By signing FOI Oklahoma's Open Government Pledge, Hardin 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."
 
Hardin, a local business owner, is challenging incumbent Angela Monson for the at-large position.
 
The school board has been criticized for its secrecy. Last month, the board initially refused to release a document detailing reasons for denying two charter school applications.
 
In late 2011, Monson refused to release a proposed operating agreement between the district and a charter school group until after the board voted.
 
FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in spring 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.
 
Signers are listed on the FOI Oklahoma website.
 

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