We are fundraising to hire a staff attorney!
FOG is in the last leg of our fundraising campaign to hire a full-time attorney, and we are so close to our goal and need your help to cross the finish line!
Transparency is more than a buzzword. As recent events have illustrated, our democracy hangs by a thread. It requires constant vigilance, well-informed citizens and a robust press using the tools of public documents and public meetings. How else can government officials be held accountable and responsive to the people they serve?
Since 1989, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (“FOG”) has been shining a light on government in New Mexico, holding officials accountable and making certain public business is conducted in the sunshine. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, FOG is the state’s leading advocate for freedom of information, a hallmark of democracy. FOG’s mission is to educate, advocate and litigate for open government, playing a vital role in protecting New Mexicans’ right to know–all on a razor-thin budget and a one-person staff.
FOG’s full-time executive director oversees day-to-day operations answering daily phone calls on the organization’s free hotline, conducting seminars for citizens, journalists and government officials about how to obtain public records and gain access to public meetings and advocating for open government at the Roundhouse.
However, much of FOG’s success has grown out of an outstanding panel of volunteer lawyers—pro bono attorneys who have remained tireless and tenacious in their pursuit of government accountability. On countless occasions throughout the year, the attorney panel—which collectively would cost FOG at least $1,200 per hour—convenes on conference calls or participates in email threads and high-level discussions concerning open government problems in New Mexico. They also draft appellate briefs, occasionally file lawsuits, draft correspondence and make phone calls to the public officials who prefers conducting public business behind closed doors.
The hiring of a full-time sunshine staff attorney will enable FOG to better serve citizens who are getting the runaround seeking records or gaining access to meetings. This attorney will serve the people and ensure compliance with the state's sunshine laws across New Mexico at all levels of government!
Contributors can make a one-time gift or divide their donation into installments. Pledges to the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government Legal Initiative may be paid on a monthly, quarterly, yearly or one-time basis. Monthly online giving is always available.