Council President Richard Conlin
Councilmember Richard J. McIver
COUNCIL SUPPORTS RECORDING OF EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
Councilmembers urge State Legislature to pass pending bill
SEATTLE – The Council, today, unanimously passed a resolution urging the State Legislature to support legislation that requires the recording of executive sessions by all governments in Washington State. Councilmember Richard J. McIver said, “Some of the more important deliberations by the Seattle City Council as well as other governing bodies occur in closed executive sessions. Requiring the recording of executive sessions is an important step in government accountability.” Council President Richard Conlin said, “This resolution continues the Council’s long track record of support for open government. We support the efforts by the Attorney General and the State Auditor to insure that executive sessions are recorded along with the necessary safeguards to protect those recordings.”
Executive sessions are commonly understood to mean that part of a meeting of the governing body that is closed to the public. Governing bodies may hold executive sessions to consider the acquisition of real estate, to hold discussions with legal counsel under certain circumstances, and the like. House Bill 3292, currently pending in the State Legislature, would require the audio recording of all executive sessions conducted by a governing body.
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