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Strange twist: talking to the media doesn't violate sunshine law

Elected officials can and should speak freely to the media with no fear of breaking the Arizona's Open Meeting Law, the attorney general said in a legal opinion issued Dec. 24.

In October, state Reps. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, and David Lujan, D-Phoenix, asked Attorney General Terry Goddard to issue a clarification about how the law applies to public officials speaking to and communicating through the media because of mixed interpretations across the Valley.

Several legal analysts in the Valley went as far as to instruct elected officials to refrain from discussing subjects in the media that eventually could lead to a vote by a public body.
See full story in Arizona Republic.
Published Thursday, December 27, 2007 2:09 AM by JoelCampbell

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