Minutes for the
Iowa Freedom of Information Council
Annual Meeting 2015
Thursday, Oct. 8
Des Moines Marriott Downtown
700 Grand Ave.
Salons F&G, 2nd floor
Meet and greet with Charles Smithson, Iowa Public Information Board executive director: 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Annual business meeting: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Presiding: Brian Cooper, president, Dubuque Telegraph Herald/Iowa Newspaper Association
Attending: Jim Boyd, 1st vice president, WHO Radio/Iowa Broadcasters Association; Kia Breaux, working press trustee, Associated Press; David Busiek, KCCI-TV; Tom Cullen, Storm Lake Times; Randy Evans, Iowa FOI Council; Rox Laird, Des Moines Register/past president; Don McLeese, University of Iowa; Andrew Mertens, Iowa Association for Justice; Bill Monroe, Iowa Public Information Board; Chris Mudge, Iowa Newspaper Association; Amalie Nash, 2nd vice president, Des Moines Register; Susan Patterson Plank, INA; Herb Strentz, IFOIC executive secretary emeritus, Drake University retired; Jared Strong, working press trustee, Carroll Daily Times Herald; Scott Sundstrom, Nyemaster Goode LLC, INA/IBA lobbyist; Mark Witherspoon, Iowa State University; David Witke, Des Moines Register retired.
Recording secretary: Kathleen Richardson, executive director, Drake University
Approval of minutes of summer meeting: Moved Mudge, seconded Strong; approved unanimously.
Executive Director: Vote on Executive Committee’s recommendation that Randy Evans be appointed to succeed Kathleen Richardson. Moved Laird, seconded Nash; approved unanimously. Thanks to Richardson for her service.
Budget update (Richardson): Quad-City Times has dropped its membership; Mudge and Evans will work to bring them back into the fold. Big drop in sales for the Open Meetings, Open Records Handbook. Explore whether Iowa Public Information Board will help pay for printing, since the board has taken over government training in the state.
Expanded access to electronic court records update (Laird): Strong, Busiek, Laird and Michael Giudicessi have been working with the Iowa judiciary on this issue. Supreme Court took it up at their summer administrative meeting, but it has been delayed because of need to retool the system to change fee structure. Court seems to want to eventually have online public access.
Setting of goals for 2016: The Council bylaws require the trustees to annually adopt goals for the upcoming year. Goals adopted for 2016 (moved Laird, seconded Strong; unanimously approved):
* To continue as the Iowa Supreme-court designated coordinator for Expanded Media Coverage in the Iowa courts.
* To remain active in the discussions of Chapters 21 and 22 in the Iowa Legislature.
* To champion transparency and to protect against erosion of access to currently available government information.
* To undertake other projects and activities as needed.
* To work with the court to expand electronic access to court records.
• Iowa Newspaper Association has arranged for a legislative reception at the state Capitol on March 17 to promote Sunshine Week. IFOIC should take lead in promoting.
• Des Moines convention and visitors bureau has approached IFOIC about hosting the National FOI Coalition convention. Evans to explore what is involved when he attends NFOIC conference in Denver this week.
Appointment and election of trustees, officers and executive committee for 2016: Moved Nash, seconded Busiek; unanimously approved.
Officers for 2016:
• President: Jim Boyd, WHO Radio (Iowa Broadcasters Association)
• 1st Vice President: Amalie Nash, The Des Moines Register (Iowa Newspaper Association)
• 2nd Vice President: Zack Kucharski, Cedar Rapids Gazette (Iowa Newspaper Association)
• Executive director: Randy Evans
Working Press Trustees:
• Jared Strong, Carroll Daily Times Herald
• Kia Breaux, Associated Press
• First Amendment members will be contacted electronically and asked to select two of their members to serve as trustees.
• The Executive Committee (the officers) will consult and select any additional members.
Thank you to departing President Brian Cooper.
Motion to adjourn: Mudge moved, Strong seconded; unanimously approved.