Three years ago, after years of service in the Vermont State Senate, Democrat Jim Condos ran for

the office of Secretary of State and defeated his Republican opponent. One year later, Condos launched his Transparency Tour. His objective was and is to make more Vermonters aware of the many protections the state has put in place to make the operation of government more visible and understandable to its citizens. This year Condos began the second tour in what he plans to be a biennial event. His second of ten presentations was held on November 6 in Lyndons Public Safety Facility attended by a mix of local officials, members of the press, and residents of the area. His slogan for this years tour is Got Transparency 2013 This all started back in 1976, Condos explains. Before then, transparency was not an issue. The public mostly heard only the decisions of official bodies and no one thought too much about it. Then came the Watergate scandal and in the wake of all the disclosures about enemies lists and secret meetings, came a push for more disclosure and less secrecy. For the first time there was a right to know what government was doing behind the scenes and in Vermont, as elsewhere, laws were passed to make government more transparent. From 1976 to 2011 nothing much changed. Then, ten years into wars based on some things that just werent so, there was a new push to better inform the public. And with the passage of new laws, Jim Condos launched his campaign to teach more Vermonters about transparency. His presentation opens with the statement that our open meeting and public records laws are some of our most important because the allow us direct access to the decisions that affect us. But these laws are not that simple and to explain the basic outline of the rights that the laws protect, take Condos most of the two hours he spends in each of ten towns promoting transparency. This years tour will continue until December 12. Times and locations are posted on Condoss official websitehttp://www.sec.state.vt.us/. At the close of the Lyndon presentation, State Senator Joe Benning, a Republican from Lyndon, complimented Condos for his effort in traveling around the state to make Vermonters better informed about their right to be informed and involved in official meetings.