This was the front-page article on Sunday’s Cape Cod Times: Political candidates have spotty voting records:

“Raymond Hall may ask Dennis residents to do something May 13 that he rarely does — vote.

“Hall is one of three people who have taken out nomination papers to run for selectman. A review of state election records indicate that the last and only Dennis election Hall voted in was in 2004, and he has never checked in to a town meeting, according to records. He’s voted a total of six times since 2000.”

Here is a PDF of Sunday’s front page.cctA01031698.pdf

Two Sunshine Week graphics from the pages of this week’s Cape Cod Times (PDF):

Your Right to Records and How to Get Them.

Top Secret, a graphical page that ran in place of the paper’s typical editorial page.

From the Cape Cod Times: Governor says e-mails off-limits:

Gov. Deval Patrick holds the most conspicuous job in state government, but his records are above public inspection.

While the state’s Public Records Law does not expressly exempt the governor’s papers from outside scrutiny, as it does those of the Legislature or the judiciary, recent chief executives have taken solace in a 1997 Supreme Judicial Court decision saying that because the executive branch is not expressly mentioned in the state’s Public Records Law, it should be exempt from it.

Read the full story. See this issue’s front page in PDF format.

From yesterday’s Cape Cod Times: Let the sunshine in:

“This is the beginning of Sunshine Week. We’re not talking weather. We’re referring to the state and federal climate related to open government. In both cases, it’s mighty chilly.

“In Massachusetts, the cradle of democracy, the current open meeting law is one of the most restrictive in the nation. It gives boards of selectmen and other governing bodies too many excuses to discuss important public policy issues in executive session.”

Read the rest.

The third in The Republican’s Sunshine Week series: Towns develop online presence.

“Brimfield residents can learn plenty about their town’s volunteer fire department by going online to www.brimfieldfd.org, but they won’t find a Web site to keep them up to date on how their town government operates.

“That could change soon. The Board of Selectmen is moving, cautiously, toward getting a town government Web site started.”

Read the full story.

From today’s Metrowest Daily News: Investigation reveals obstacles to getting information:

“The IRS has arguably the most famous and feared deadline in the United States.

“But when it comes to deadlines for Freedom of Information Act requests, the tax agency isn’t nearly so demanding of itself.

“‘I apologize for any inconvenience my delay may cause,’ wrote the tax agency, as it explained why it would blow the 20-day deadline on a GateHouse FOIA letter for logs of its public records requests. And if you don’t like it: ‘You may file suit.'”

Read the full story.

From The Republican today: Web site established to educate voters:

“It’s not easy being an open book.

“But that’s exactly what organizers and volunteers with Project Vote Smart intend to do with information about the nation’s elected officials and office seekers. From biographies to issue stances, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization combines it all in one vast database for free and on the Web.”

Read the full story.

State Rep. Stephen Kulik, sponsor of the MNPA’s open meeting reform bill (HB 3217), has this op-ed in The Republican: An open meeting law for the 21st century.

From The Republican yesterday: Meetings law due for overhaul:

“The Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association collected nearly 300 pages of clips from 2006 about constant and sometimes repeated violations of the law around the state.

“In one of the most egrigious cases, the Boston City Council was fined $11,000 in 2006 by a Superior Court judge for repeated violations of the law spanning about two years.

Read the full story.

The Brockton Enterprise: Sunshine law hits clouds in Brockton:

“A request for city cell phone records has been met with a busy signal at City Hall.

“‘Got a million things going on, working on your info,’ Mayor James E. Harrington’s chief of staff, Donna Daley wrote in a March 6 email.

“The Enterprise sought two sets of public records in conjunction with Sunshine Week, a nationwide initiative led by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to reinforce the importance of open government.”

Read the rest.