Saugus Web site honored for second year in a row

SAUGUS-For the second year in a row, Common Cause Massachusetts recognized the town with an E-Government award for its Internet presence.The event is part of Common Cause’s ongoing Massachusetts Campaign for Open Government, which periodically reviews the Internet presence of all 351 cities and towns in the state. Saugus was one of 90 communities recognized. Also among the honorees were Peabody, Everett, Melrose, Reading and Salem.Common Cause Executive Director Pam Wilmot said she was happy to add so many names to list of honorees this year.”Many communities rose to the challenge and significantly improved their Web sites over the past year,” she said.Common Cause board member and Saugus resident Karla de Steuben said she believed accessible Web sites are important.”The foundation of our democracy is built on public access to information about our government,” she said. “The easier it is to obtain key information, the more likely it is that people will have the tools necessary to effectively participate in government and hold our elected leaders accountable.”Common Cause launched the Massachusetts Campaign For Open Government in 2006. At that time, only 24 communities met the Campaign’s minimum standards and posted key governance records, which it defines as: the community governing body’s agenda, the governing body’s minutes, current fiscal year budget, the municipality’s bylaws, code or ordinances, and if applicable, town meeting warrant and town meeting results or minutes.In addition to the awards presented, Common Cause released a full audit of the Internet presence of all 351 cities and towns. Thirty-two communities, many of them small towns, had no Web site at all while 36 municipalities had Web sites, but none of the required documents were posted. Thirty communities came very close to earning an award and only had one document missing.”The Internet is an easy and cost effective way to get information into the hands of citizens. Posting these six key records takes only minutes and costs virtually nothing,” Wilmot said.A copy of the full audit is available at www.maopengov.org