Common Cause Presents 2008 E-Government Award to the Town of Sudbury
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BOSTON (March 18, 2008) – At a State House event Tuesday, the government watchdog group Common Cause Massachusetts presented the 2008 E-Government Award to the Town of Sudbury and 89 other communities from across the Commonwealth.
The event is part of Common Cause’s on-going Massachusetts Campaign for Open Government, which periodically reviews the internet presence of all 351 cities and towns in the state.
Municipalities receiving the 2008 E-Government award were: Amherst, Andover, Arlington, Ashburnham, Barnstable, Becket, Bedford, Belmont, Bolton, Boston, Boxborough, Brookline, Cambridge, Carver, Chelsea, Chelmsford, Chilmark, Concord, Dedham, Douglas, Dudley, Dunstable, Duxbury, Eastham, Easton, Egremont, Everett, Falmouth, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin, Gloucester, Groton, Harwich, Haverhill, Hingham, Holden, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Kingston, Lakeville, Lexington, Littleton, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Melrose, Methuen, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, North Andover, North Reading, Northampton, Palmer, Paxton, Peabody, Pelham, Plympton, Provincetown, Reading, Salem, Sandwich, Saugus, Scituate, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Somerville, Southampton, Southwick, Spencer, Springfield, Stow, Sudbury, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Upton, Uxbridge, West Boylston, West Springfield, Westfield, Westford, Weston, Westport, Wilbraham, Weymouth, Williamstown, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn, Worcester, Wrentham.
“We are pleased to be able to honor Sudbury this year,” said Common Cause executive director Pam Wilmot. “Sudbury rose to the challenge and improved its website over the past year.”
“We work hard to provide information to Sudbury residents on our website,” said Town Manager, Maureen Valente. “Moreover, we are committed to doing even better in years to come. The internet is the communication tool of the 21st century. It’s cost effective, and we plan to use it as much as we can.”
Common Cause launched the Massachusetts Campaign For Open Government in 2006. At that time, only 24 communities met the Campaign’s standards and posted key governance records, which it defines as: the community governing body’s agenda, the governing body’s minutes, current fiscal year budget information, the municipality’s bylaws, code or ordinances, and if applicable, town meeting warrant and town meeting results or minutes.
“Posting these six key records takes only minutes and costs virtually nothing”, said Wilmot. “Communities like Sudbury, that make this information available on the web are providing an important service to their citizens, and we are delighted to be able honor them.”
A copy of the full audit and pictures are available at www.maopengov.org .