Open Meeting Plaintiffs Prevail (Sort Of) In Appeals Court

Today the Appeals Court ruled against Michael Flaherty and his compatriots in McCrea v. Flaherty, No. 07-P-224. The Court held that the defendants violated the Open Meeting law.

The victory for the plaintiffs, including Kevin McCrea, was not unequivocal, however. The Court sent the case back to the Superior Court for a determination of some factual issues. So Mr. Flaherty could still eke out a victory of sorts.

Still reading through this; updates possible.

Your Government At Work

There’s great interest in the Vith Ly decision yesterday from the SJC. The legal principles and precedential effects are interesting, but the case once again raises one of the most urgent and least sexy issues facing the Commonwealth and the nation: the basic diligence and competence of our government.

This is simple stuff, isn’t it? If we can’t manage to order a convicted rapist to jail for a period of sixteen years – during which time he’s twice brought before the courts for other serious charges – if we can’t manage that, should we be surprised when tunnels and bridges collapse, when restaurant venting systems go uninspected, or when giant pallets of cash disappear in the Green Zone? Maybe, though, this is just the kind of stuff that happens when turnout is fourteen percent.