386 Boyer Court

Marshall, MI 49068

February 28, 2009

To the editor:

As I’ve mentioned in other letters, I’ve been working on a sort of “Public Participation Project” for Calhoun County. I’ve already posted pages on my personal Website with information on meeting dates, times, and places for county, city, township, village, school district, and library boards. Unfortunately, when the Enquirer posted last month’s letter naming those Webpages, the double hyphens caused some confusion . . . so the addresses are now

      http://members.triton.net/jalp/LocalGovBds-overall.pdf          and

      http://members.triton.net/jalp/LocalGovBds-overall.html

I’ve also been gathering two other kinds of information from our local governing boards:

      * the opportunities they give citizens to speak at those public meetings; and

      * their policies for working with Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act.

I aim to compile that information onto new Webpages by or before Sunday, March 22.

Why that date? Well, it’s the weekend after spring starts – so it should be a good time for fresh air and new beginnings. And I’ve reserved the Reference Room of the Marshall District Library (124 West Green Street) that afternoon. Please join me there, starting around 1:30pm.

I want to meet and talk with anybody who’s interested in figuring out what to do next. And, better yet, willing to help do some of it. Should we expand to more public bodies? Committees and subcommittees? Find people to attend meetings and take “citizen minutes”, and publish and post them?

Or should we just start by picking a better name than the “Public Participation Project”? . . .

If you want to RSVP, or suggest ideas for the agenda of this meeting, please e-mail jalp@triton.net or call 269-781-9478.

John Anthony La Pietra                                               jalp@triton.net

386 Boyer Court                                                           269-781-9478

Marshall, MI 49068

256 words “raw” - 13 for adjustments = 243 words “net” . . . if you want to cut the text, please check with me first:

-4 for Public Information Project (-2 twice)             -1 for Calhoun County             -3 for Freedom of Information Act

-2 for Marshall District Library                                -3 = -1 each for March 22, Reference Room, and Green Street