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Chamber Taps Outzen To Head Sunshine Law Task Force
July 16, 2013
Rick Outzen has been appointed to lead a task force that will develop a Sunshine Law compliance plan for the Greater Pensacola Chamber.
Outzen, a chamber board member and publisher of The Independent News, was tapped by chamber Chairman Sandy Sansing to head up the effort that will outline how meetings will be held, how record requests will be handled and how board members and staff members will interact.
The Chamber Executive Committee voted recently to recommend to the full board that the chamber operate in compliance with the Florida’s government in the sunshine law, despite differing legal opinions about whether or not compliance is required.
“We felt it was the right thing to do,” said Sansing, “and Rick Outzen is the perfect person to develop the policies and procedures to make sure we are operating a fully transparent organization worthy of our private and public investors.”
Sansing said the chamber will move as quickly as possible, but that there will be a transition period necessary to train staff and board members and to set up the proper mechanisms for compliance.
“We do ask for a little patience as Rick and his team develop our strategy,” said Sansing. “We will be on a fast track, but it is a complicated law and we will have to learn as we go; so a little patience will be appreciated.”
Comments
3 Responses to “Chamber Taps Outzen To Head Sunshine Law Task Force”
An interesting choice since we’ve heard nothing from Outzen about Chamber noncompliance in the past. He’s performed his usual downtown cheerleader job and we can assume that’ll continue in this role.
Even PNJ only recently jumped on board – and we have to wonder about their motives since they appear to be targeting outgoing Chamber President Jim Hizer, who removed a number of GOB leeches from the public teat.
Funny that for years and years both Outzen and the daily rag ignored numerous gifts of information from Jerry Couey and Deborah Nelson regarding Chamber noncompliance. Couey and Nelson spent, again years, pursuing the same Sunshine problem with TEAM Santa Rosa until they forced a resolution, while Outzen and daily rag management sniffed in outrage. And Outzen is of course famous for his sniveling support of the Maritime Park and before that, Rebuild Northwest Florida’s lack of transparency. Now all of a sudden he and the rag’s people want to get involved? Something’s fishy.
So you’re telling us there has not been a policy & procedure manual ever on how anything is done?
Good move Sandy! Rick has done a great job of exposing the mistakes of those in power and will make sure everything that the chamber does is in the light of sunshine.