Gary Ingram deserves praise for writing Idaho's Open Meeting Law in 1974.

This year, Idaho has a stronger Open Meeting Law in spite of Ingram — not because of him.

Ingram was one of a stubborn handful of people who opposed a rewrite of Idaho's Open Meeting Law, making the law more clear and more enforceable. The bill had the backing of Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's office, local government groups and several media and open government groups. The bill wound up winning overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature, and Gov. Butch Otter signed the bill into law on April 13.

Thanks to their efforts, we now have an open meeting law that elected officials can understand, by fixing up some of the inevitable gray areas that arise when a law has been on the books for 35 years. Prosecutors will no longer have to prove an elected official "knowingly" violated the law, a nearly impossible legal hurdle.

I can think of a lot of real champions for open government in Idaho this year. People like Bill von Tagen, the able and respected deputy attorney general who helped wordsmith the bill and navigate through the Legislature. Or Betsy Russell, the Spokane Spokesman-Review reporter who, as Idaho Press Club president, was a stalwart advocate for a working Open Meetings Law (Disclosure: I am the club's vice president, but Russell championed this bill on the group's behalf).

So it is disappointing to see Ingram receive the Max
Dalton Open Government Award, and an accompanying $2,000 check, from an outfit called the Idaho Newspaper Foundation. Perhaps it isn't surprising: the foundation's executive director is Tom Grote, publisher of The Star-News in McCall, which editorialized against the bill.

I'm all for honoring people who are passionate about open government. But this year, this pick is a dud.

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