OLD POSTS HAVE BEEN ARCHIVED

If you are a new reader, I started this blog in 2013 - raising awareness to a myriad of issues and concerns, the vast majority being resolved and/or no longer relevant. 

KEY AWARD

WASHINGTON COALITION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT PRESENTS KEY AWARD TO CINDY FERENCE OF SHORELINE, WA

The Washington Coalition for Open Government has chosen Cindy Ference of Shoreline, WA, to receive its Key Award.

The Key Award is presented by WCOG to recognize a person or organization who has done something notable for the cause of open government. The Coalition is an independent non-partisan non-profit organization.

Ference was chosen for the award after she successfully challenged the King County Housing Authority for holding unannounced meetings of a nonprofit organization it operated separately to get federal housing subsidies. The nonprofit organization had the same board, staff and address as the King County Housing Authority, but it was acting as if it were a private entity. “Public housing authorities are stand-alone government entities with limited oversight. Open meetings and the ability to access public records are vitally important. The public has a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent and to be informed of the policies that affect the lives of some of this country’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Ference.

OPEN!

Settlement in Knight FOI Fund case resolves tenant’s open meeting complaint, but public records issues are still pending.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (August 6, 2013) – A public housing agency serving suburban Seattle, Wash., will institute a sweeping series of transparency measures as a result of a lawsuit made possible by the inspired persistence of an engaged public housing resident and a litigation grant made under the Knight FOI Fund.

Cindy Ference, a tenant in a King County Housing Authority complex for senior and disabled people in Shoreline, Wash., sued the housing agency over open-meetings violations in April after learning it had set up a shadow entity to carry out some of its programs without public oversight. Ms. Ference and her attorney, Katherine George, reached a settlement agreement with the Housing Authority to ensure that the public can learn about programs of the agency as well as its shadow entity, a nonprofit called Moving King County Residents Forward. 

“This settlement ensures that the Housing Authority will not only meet, but exceed, Washington state requirements for governments to make decisions openly,” Ference said. “Furthermore, it will allow the thousands of residents served by the Housing Authority to be better informed regarding the decisions that affect their lives.”  Read Full Article

THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW

Sometimes a person has to step out of their comfort zone and take a stand for what they believe in.  As a resident advocate, policy activist, and member of the WA COALITION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT, I feel a responsibility to do just that:

NFOIC supports lawsuit accusing government agency of repeatedly violating Washington state’s open government laws

Resident claims that King County Housing Authority has established a nonprofit shadow organization to carry out its programs while circumventing the Open Public Meetings Act and Public Records Act.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (April 23, 2013) - With support from the National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) and Knight FOI Fund, a public housing resident in suburban Seattle filed a lawsuit today accusing a local housing authority of repeatedly violating Washington state’s public disclosure and open meeting laws.

Cindy Ference, who lives in a King County Housing Authority complex for senior and disabled people in Shoreline, Wa., brought the action after discovering that the Housing Authority has set up an allegedly private nonprofit organization to carry out its programs without public oversight. The shadow organization, called Moving King County Residents Forward, has the same governing board, the same staff and the same offices as the Housing Authority.

The Purpose Of This Blog

Since becoming a resident in 1999, I have been involved with King County Housing Authority on important issues such as Fair Housing, the American with Disabilities Act and tenants rights, with an emphasis on helping the Housing Authority's senior and disabled residents.   

This is a blog to raise awareness of policies and actions by King County Housing Authority and to bring my perspective to a larger audience.  

I believe the Commissioners of King County Housing Authority need to hear from residents to effectively govern.  I hope this blog will capture their attention and be one more opportunity for them to hear from us.

I would love to hear from you!  Feel free to contact me at CindyF309blog@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Please check back often!