The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Carrington, 1787.

This week is Sunshine Week, a national initiative that began in 2002 with the goal to open dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

To many journalists this is a kind of holy week, though people — from government officials to the media, historians, schools, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits and anyone interested in transparent government — should, and often do, support the effort.

There is an implicit trust between the writer and reader: as writers we ask the reader to trust that what is conveyed in an article is truthful to the best of the our ability to gather and present the most accurate information, while the reader wants to believe that they can place their trust in our reporting.

Government officials have that same implicit trust with residents. We want to know that our officials act on our best interests, manage our tax dollars wisely and don’t have a problem sharing why they make the decisions that they do.

For more information, visit www.sunshineweek.org. There’s also an excellent copy (put out by the state government — who would’ve believed that?) of the Michigan Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act at http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/Publications/OpenMtgsFreedom.pdf.

Included below is contact information and meeting dates for the governments and school districts in the Grand Blanc VIEW coverage area. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, contact the people at each of the entities to make your views known and/or attend board and council meetings to share those ideas. Most local officials are good about sharing information.

Atlas Twp. — The Board of Trustees meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of the month. Contact the township offices at 810-636-2548. On the web: www.atlastownship.com.

City of Grand Blanc — The city council meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. Contact city hall at 810-694-1111. On the web: www.cityofgrandblanc.com.

Grand Blanc Twp. — The Board of Trustees meets at 7:30 p.m. the second Thursday of the month. Call the offices at 810-424-2600. On the web: www.twp.grand-blanc.mi.us.

Village of Goodrich — The village council meets at 7 p.m. the second Monday of the month. Call 810-636-2570.

Grand Blanc schools — The school board meets on the first and third Mondays of the month at the Perry Center. Contact the administrative offices at 11920 S. Saginaw St. or call 810-591-6000. On the web: www.grandblanc.schoolfusion.us.

Goodrich schools — The school board meets at 6 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month: 810-591-2250. On the web: www.goodrich.k12.mi.us.

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