March 14-20 is Sunshine Week. It is a time for all citizens to ask, "What is my government doing, and how do I know it?" The only way to answer those questions is to demand open government at all levels.

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The Jackson Sun as a good OP on the issue

Locally, Blount County Commissioners Wendy Pitts Reeves and Joe McCulley have sponsored a resolution to Encourage Public Participation which is a simple request to get the list of boards and committees out in public and to post upcoming board and committee opportunities.

Over at the TN Ethics Commission you can take a look at the state disclosures for both our local officials and candidates for those jobs.

When you find certain candidate filings missing from the list contact the TNEC to ask where it is.
When you find certain officials income list to be stated as "see paper file" call or email the TNEC and ask that a copy be mailed or faxed to you. Perhaps enough of these kinds of requests will encourage the state to fill in the blanks online or require the officials/candidates to input their data via online methods and not allow these folks to hide behind the words "see paper file."