The League of Women Voters of Newton (LWVN) wants to know about your experiences with and views on transparency in Newton’s local government.  By transparency, we mean:  Are municipal data, information, and records all readily available and easily accessible? Can private individuals and groups easily find and readily access information about governmental decisions and decision-making processes?
 
We are contacting you because we know that you play a leadership role in at least one group or organization here in Newton. You may answer the survey either as an individual involved with your group or as a representative of the group. If you're involved in more than one Newton community group or organization, please consider the transparency needs of all the groups/organizations you have experience with. We will not publicly attribute any information you provide or use any information that could identify you without getting permission from you first. The survey should take 10-20 minutes to complete. Kindly complete the survey by October 31, 2022. If you have any questions, please contact LWVNsurvey@gmail.com.

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* 1. Name of person filling out the survey and the organization(s) you work with.

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* 2. Overall, how important is transparency in Newton government to you/your group on a scale of 0 to 10 (with 0 being not at all important and 10 being vitally important).

0 5 10

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* 3. Please explain your response to Question 2.

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* 4. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 0 being worst and 10 being best), how would you rate the transparency of Newton's government today?

0 5 10

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* 5. Please explain your response to Question 4.  If you can, please provide specific examples.

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* 6. Have you or your group(s) previously worked on or talked about the issue of transparency/accountability in Newton’s local government? Please explain.

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* 7. What information have you needed in the course of your group's work that you were able to get from the City and how (specifically) did you get it? Please give one or more examples and explain in as much detail as possible.

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* 8. What information have you needed that you were NOT able to get, how did you try to get it, what obstacles did you face, and what was the result? Please give one or more examples and explain in as much detail as possible.

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* 9. If you do not think the city government currently ranks as a "10" with regard to transparency, what types of information do you think the City should be making available and how should they provide it?

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* 10. Do you think that more governmental transparency leads to more governmental accountability?  Why or why not?  What do you see as the relationship between transparency and accountability?

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* 11. Please let us know if/how you’d like to be involved in this transparency initiative:

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* 12. Please share your email address and phone number.  Thank you!