Rick Morain, retired publisher/editor of the Jefferson Bee & Herald, has been appointed by Gov Terry Branstad to the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB).
The nine-member board is evenly balanced with persons representing the media, local governments, and the public.
Morain, who is a past president of the Iowa Newspaper Association, said that group worked for six years to persuade legislators to create the board, which serves as an information source for local governments and the public on the requirements of Iowa’s open meetings and public records laws. The board has enforcement powers when local governments refuse to abide by the laws, although according to Morain, nearly all situations are handled “informally and cordially” by the board’s staff. The board took effect in 2013.
Training elected officials and government employees on the correct use of those laws is also a duty of the IPIB.
“I’m honored that Governor Branstad has appointed me to fill out an unexpired term on the Iowa Public Information Board,” Morain said. “I look forward to helping clear up any questions about the rights of Iowa citizens to know what their public officials do.”
