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Your path to The Wichita
Eagle's weekly guide to Kansas open government laws.
The Sunshine Coalition at the
Elliott School of Communication
Wichita State University
1845 N. Fairmount
Wichita, KS 67260-0031
Rep. Mayans receives first "Friend of Open Government" Award
Rep. Carlos Mayans, R-Wichita, left, accepts a Friend of Open Government Award, presented by Randy Brown, senior editorial columnist of The Wichita Eagle and president-elect of the board of directors of the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government. The award was presented April 20 during the Kansas Press Association's annual convention in Lawrence.
April 20, 2001
Credited with leading last year's effort to reform the Kansas Open Records Act, Rep. Carlos Mayans, R-Wichita, was recognized April 20 with one of the first Friend of Open Government awards.
Mayans was presented the award by Randy Brown, senior editorial columnist for The Wichita Eagle and president-elect of the board of directors of the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government. The Sunshine Coalition promotes open government. It is one of nearly 40 such groups in the nation.
Mayans was presented the award at the general session of the Kansas Press Association's annual convention in Lawrence. Earlier this year, the late Sen. Janice Hardenburger, R-Haddam, was recognized as the other co-recipient of the first-ever Friend of Open Government Award. Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, and Senate Vice President Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, accepted the award on Hardenburger's behalf at the Sunshine Coalition's annual meeting Jan. 26 in Topeka.
"When the open records legislation was in deep trouble last session, Sen. Hardenburger rescued it," Brown said. "But Rep. Mayans helped give it life in the first place, and helped sell it to his colleagues."
The Sunshine Coalition's award recognizes individuals who have shown support for open government initiatives. Mayans is certainly one of those individuals, said John Lewis, publisher of the Wyandotte County Legal News and president of the Sunshine Coalition Board of Directors.
"When last year's open records legislation seemed doomed, Rep. Mayans simply refused to let it die," Lewis said. "He was passionate about leading the effort to pass this bill to strengthen our open records laws. His belief in open government would not allow him to do otherwise.
"His is a deep-seated commitment to openness that is born of the oppression that he witnessed in his native Cuba. Our right to know about our government's activities is both precious and precarious, and no one understands that better than Carlos Mayans."
Rep. Carlos Mayans, R-Wichita, left, accepts a Friend of Open Government Award, presented by Randy Brown, senior editorial columnist of The Wichita Eagle and president-elect of the board of directors of the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government. The award was presented April 20 during the Kansas Press Association's annual convention in Lawrence.
April 20, 2001
Credited with leading last year's effort to reform the Kansas Open Records Act, Rep. Carlos Mayans, R-Wichita, was recognized April 20 with one of the first Friend of Open Government awards.
Mayans was presented the award by Randy Brown, senior editorial columnist for The Wichita Eagle and president-elect of the board of directors of the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government. The Sunshine Coalition promotes open government. It is one of nearly 40 such groups in the nation.
Mayans was presented the award at the general session of the Kansas Press Association's annual convention in Lawrence. Earlier this year, the late Sen. Janice Hardenburger, R-Haddam, was recognized as the other co-recipient of the first-ever Friend of Open Government Award. Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, and Senate Vice President Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, accepted the award on Hardenburger's behalf at the Sunshine Coalition's annual meeting Jan. 26 in Topeka.
"When the open records legislation was in deep trouble last session, Sen. Hardenburger rescued it," Brown said. "But Rep. Mayans helped give it life in the first place, and helped sell it to his colleagues."
The Sunshine Coalition's award recognizes individuals who have shown support for open government initiatives. Mayans is certainly one of those individuals, said John Lewis, publisher of the Wyandotte County Legal News and president of the Sunshine Coalition Board of Directors.
"When last year's open records legislation seemed doomed, Rep. Mayans simply refused to let it die," Lewis said. "He was passionate about leading the effort to pass this bill to strengthen our open records laws. His belief in open government would not allow him to do otherwise.
"His is a deep-seated commitment to openness that is born of the oppression that he witnessed in his native Cuba. Our right to know about our government's activities is both precious and precarious, and no one understands that better than Carlos Mayans."
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