2018 Key Award winner

OKANOGAN – Tacoma-based public television station KTBC-TV will profile local watchdog group, Okanogan County Watch on its weekly program, Northwest Now, during Washington State’s Sunshine Week between March 10-16.

Okanogan County Watch was the 2018 recipient of the Key Award presented annually by the Washington Coalition for Open Government. Northwest Now, produced and hosted by Emmy award-winning Tom Layson, KBTC managing editor, typically profiles the Key Award winner as part of its coverage on open government issues.

Northwest Now focuses on Washington’s Public Records Act and Open Public Meeting Act by keeping the public informed about the importance of transparent government proceedings by acknowledging the work of journalists, government agencies, and groups like Okanogan County Watch toward that end.

“County Watch is surprised and greatly honored to be recognized by those who have defended open government in Washington state for years,’” wrote the group’s coordinator Isabelle Spohn. Spohn said that since at least 2014 dedicated volunteers have promoted open government by hours of notetaking and now video production.

Spohn said her group is inspired by the state’s Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 42.30.010 which states: “The people of the state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.”

County Watch volunteers post weekly notes and videos of most County Commissioners meetings as well as those of additional governmental bodies and elective candidates’ forums. They submit requests for important public information, send email reminders of commissioners’ agendas and meetings, and compose summaries of meetings for distribution to the media, government agencies, and active citizens. County Watch notes and videos can be viewed online at countywatch.org.

Okanogan County Watch contacts include:
Webmaster, Facebook manager, video producer: Katie Haven at email krhaven@seanet.com or cell 206-604-2218

Commissioners’ agenda emailing: Jan Young at email jmyoung825@gmail.com, phone 206-719-6892.
Notetaker: Gina McCoy at email tmc@methownet.com, phone 509-996-4181