For the record: When the public wants information, government must listen

Gazette:  Posting documents online has cut number of Public Information Act requests

...Under the Maryland Public Information Act, government records are considered public unless they fall under certain exceptions...
...As part of Sunshine Week, a nationwide focus on open-government issues, The Gazette asked local governments about the number of information requests they received in fiscal 2012...
...However, some of the people and groups making requests don’t always find government as open as the institutions claim.
“They throw roadblocks up and citizens have to persevere, and I think they are thinking most citizens will not persevere,” said Paula Bienenfeld, who is vice president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation and active with the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County. “They feel they are running the government and think citizens should go along with it. In the end, they hold all the cards. I think that is the governing philosophy of the county.”
Under the PIA, government bodies have up to 30 days to provide information that’s requested. If the request is denied, the applicant must be contacted immediately and given a written explanation within 10 working days.
“But they don’t always respond,” Bienenfeld said. “It’s up to the citizen to pursue it and sometimes they don’t get back or say it will cost for you to get the information.”
Bienenfeld said she files about 10 to 12 PIA requests a year.
Members of the Parents’ Coalition and the Civic Federation were some of the few repeat MPIA requesters that were not media outlets. Collectively, Parents’ Coalition members made 23 of the 79 requests sent to Montgomery County Public Schools in fiscal 2012.
Time and money keep organizations from filing more requests, Bienenfeld said...