SerpApi.Org
As America celebrates its 250th birthday this year, we hear plenty about democracy.
Then, on any given Monday evening, a township or school board will make an important decision in a nearly empty meeting room while most of the governed are home with family after a long day at work or are working second shift.
That needs to change.
Before the end of 2026, every local school district, township, city and village in Midland and Bay counties should commit to broadcasting its public meetings online and keeping the recordings available afterward.
The broadcasts for Bullock Creek, Coleman and Meridian schools do not need catchy theme music or multiple camera angles.
Nobody expects a Coleman City Council or Sanford Village meeting to have the same production values as a broadcast of the Super Bowl.
We the people just need to see and hear what happened.
A smartphone, tripod and internet connection can accomplish that — and provide a great deal of transparency while building public trust.
Meetings can be streamed or posted on YouTube, Facebook or another readily accessible free platform for little to no cost and should be archived.
The goal is not to produce great television. It is to provide access.
Residents should not have to rearrange work schedules, hire a babysitter or drive through a February ice storm to learn why their taxes are increasing, why a superintendent is receiving a new contract or why a neighboring property is being rezoned.
Attending public meetings in person will always be valuable. Residents can speak directly to officials via public comment and enjoy the familiar municipal experience of sitting beneath fluorescent lights while someone spends 17 minutes discussing a culvert.
But attending in person should not be the only practical way to observe how local government operates. This is 2026 — we can do better. This is the perfect time to make government more accessible to the people who fund it.
And residents should demand that oversight.
People are suspicious of government, the news media, elections, institutions and probably the person who drove past their house too slowly.
Some of that distrust is fueled by national political warfare.
Some comes from misinformation — both international and created in our own backyard.
Some comes from public officials who appear to believe that explaining themselves is a courtesy.
Broadcasting meetings will not eliminate disagreement — it may not even reduce it. But it will give residents access to important and useful information and allow them to see and hear their elected officials at work. That matters.
More and more, township officials in Midland County face recall efforts due to controversial decisions. Recalls are among the most serious actions that voters can take against local officeholders. Each recall costs a municipality time, money and, more importantly, goodwill in their communities.
Residents considering how to vote in a recall should be able to review what officials said, how they voted and what information they had before acting.
Memory is unreliable. Social media summaries are worse. A three-hour meeting can be transformed into a furious three-sentence Facebook post before officials have finished putting away their nameplates.
Video provides a record. And transparency.
These broadcasts would actually help protect public officials. A recording can show that a quote circulating online was taken out of context, that a board discussed an issue more thoroughly than critics claim or that an official did not say the outrageous thing attributed to them.
Of course, video can also show that the official said exactly that outrageous thing, leaned into the microphone and repeated it for emphasis.
Accountability has sharp edges.
Cost will be raised as an objection, especially by small townships. So what? Find the money to make it happen. A phone and a tripod will suffice in most instances. Cost may have been a legitimate concern 10 years ago, but it is no longer persuasive enough to justify doing nothing.
Governments that truly lack the equipment or expertise could work with schools, community foundations or neighboring municipalities. Heck, put together a plan and send me the estimate. Maybe the Daily News will foot the bill or find you the money.
The recordings should be easy to find, clearly labeled and posted promptly. Governments also should provide agendas, board packets and minutes alongside the video whenever possible. A camera pointed at the ceiling with audio resembling a drive-thru speaker during a thunderstorm does not satisfy the spirit of openness.
Public bodies can still protect legally confidential matters and move into closed sessions when appropriate. Just put the recording on pause.
Figure it out.
School boards have an especially strong obligation to broadcast their meetings. They oversee millions of taxpayer dollars and make decisions affecting children, families and employees. Parents should be able to watch those discussions without choosing between civic participation and putting their children to bed after a long day at work.
Our smallest governmental bodies have the same responsibility. Township and village boards decide questions involving roads, fire protection, water, zoning, development and taxes. Those decisions may not always make the front page, but they shape daily life more directly than most debates in Washington.
America’s 250th anniversary should be more than a birthday party for democracy. It should be an opportunity to improve it.
I want every local public body to be able to answer one simple question: Can residents watch your meetings without being in the room?
If the answer is no, 2026 is the year to fix that.
Democracy does not require professional lighting and Dolby sound.
It does require letting people see what their government is doing.
Elected officials … it’s time for your close-up.
Dave Clark is editor of the Daily News. He looks forward to watching local government in its natural habitat: poor lighting, uncomfortable chairs and avoidable controversy. Send hate mail and lengthy defenses of municipal secrecy to [email protected].
