Your seat at the table -- Obama transition

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gene Gaines" <gene.gaines () gainesgroup com>
Date: December 6, 2008 12:44:43 PM EST
To: "David Farber" <dave () farber net>
Subject: Fwd: Your seat at the table -- Obama transition

See below.  I have reports of actions being taken by
the dozen-plus transition teams that have been
activated by our president-elect.  I see the actions
taken as breathtakingly intelligent, constructive, and
badly needed.

Massive forces have been developed over the past 8
years that act against the interest of the American people
with the objective of raving selfish-interests, often illegal,
financial and power gain.

The most effective force, as always with government at
all levels, is the combination of transparency and an
interested citizenry.

I am so very pleased and proud of the Obama-Biden
transition people.

Will this pull telecom regulation out of the dark ages?
I believe it will.

Gene Gaines

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John D. Podesta, Obama-Biden Transition Project
<info () obamabidentransitionproject org>
Date: Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Subject: Your seat at the table
To: Eugene Gaines <gene.gaines () gainesgroup com>

Dear Eugene,

Everyday, we meet with organizations that present ideas for the
Transition and the incoming Obama-Biden Administration. In past
transitions, meetings like this have been held behind closed doors.

Not anymore. Today, every Obama-Biden Transition staff member received
a memo outlining the "Seat at the Table" Transparency Policy. I've
included a copy of it below.

The policy is pretty simple: the people and groups we're meeting with,
the subjects of the meetings, and any documents shared in the meetings
will now be made available on Change.gov. Most importantly, the
American public can weigh in with comments or their own materials.

Read the memo and watch our "Seat at the Table" video:


This is our latest step toward a more transparent and accessible
Transition. We look forward to benefitting from the many more voices
that will now be a part of the decision-making process.

Thank you,

John

John D. Podesta
Co-chair
The Obama-Biden Transition Project

________________________________
MEMORANDUM
From: John Podesta
To: All Obama-Biden Transition Project Staff
Date: December 4, 2008
Re: "Seat at the Table" Transparency Policy -- EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

Overview:
As an extension of the unprecedented ethics guidelines already in
place for the Obama-Biden Transition Project, we take another
significant step towards transparency of our efforts for the American
people. Every day, we meet with organizations who present ideas for
the Transition and the Administration, both orally and in writing. We
want to ensure that we give the American people a "seat at the table"
and that we receive the benefit of their feedback.

Accordingly, any documents from official meetings with outside
organizations will be posted on our website for people to review and
comment on. In addition to presenting ideas as individuals at
www.change.gov, the American people deserve a "seat at the table" as
we receive input from organizations and make decisions. In the
interest of protecting the personal privacy of individuals, this
policy does not apply to personnel matters and hiring recommendations.

Scope:
The following information will be posted on our website:
1. Documents: All policy documents1 and written policy recommendations
from official meetings2 with outside organizations.
2. Meetings: The date and organizations represented at official
meetings in the Transition headquarters or agency offices, with any
documents presented as noted above.

This scope is a floor, not a ceiling, and all staff are strongly
encouraged to include additional materials. Such materials could
include documents (recommendations, press releases, etc.) presented in
smaller meetings or materials or made public by the outside
organization without a connection to an official meeting.

If you have any questions as to whether documents should be included,
please email [REDACTED].

Process:
Prior to an official meeting with an outside organization or
organizations, Obama-Biden Transition Project staff members will
inform attendees that any documents provided will be posted on our
"Seat at the Table" website found at www.change.gov. Suggested
language for email invitations is: "By presenting or submitting any
document at a meeting with the Obama-Biden Transition Project, you
agree to allow the document to be made public and posted on
www.change.gov." At the completion of each meeting or upon receipt of
such documents, Transition staff will provide the documents to
[REDACTED] with the date of the meeting, a list of the organizations
in attendance, and the topic of the meeting.

Notes:
1) This policy does not apply to non-public or classified information
acquired from the Agency Review Process and internal memorandum.
2) An "official meeting" is defined as a meeting with outside
organizations or representatives of those organizations to which three
or more outside participants attend.




-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com