BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

Susan Bisio’s name has been in the news many times over the past few years in the City of the Village of Clarkston.
And the Michigan Coalition for Open Government (MICOG) has certainly noticed recently, awarding her the Jane Briggs-Bunting Transparency in Government Award.
Senator Ed McBroom earned the award as well as both have worked tirelessly to advance transparency efforts in the state when it comes to elected officials.
“Sunshine Week 2022 was very special for me because that’s when I learned that Senator Ed McBroom and I had been selected by the Michigan Coalition for Open Government to receive the Jane Briggs-Bunting Transparency in Government Award. How awesome is that?” Bisio posted on one of her websites, clarkstonsecrets.com. “I had no clue that I was even being considered for such an honor. Ms. Briggs-Bunting was a zealous advocate for open government and the first amendment. I am deeply flattered to receive an award that bears her name. The award was created to ‘honor the work of citizens who fight for better public access to government.’ Unfortunately, she left us all too soon last year.”
Back in 2015, after a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request to the City of the Village of Clarkston was repeatedly refused, Bisio took matters into her own hands and sued. Five years later, after a review by the Michigan Supreme Court, Bisio successfully obtained the records she sought that pertained to local developments that were stored on non-government devices.
Bisio continues to draw attention to transparency issues in Clarkston through her two websites, clarkstonsunshine.com and clarkstonsecrets.com. She has also called for FOIA reform, to ensure that public bodies are unable to use FOIA to conceal records from public attention.
“I never dreamed that it would take me five long years to obtain public records that Clarkston tried to keep secret by hiding them,” said Bisio. “The city sought to delay the progress of my lawsuit in every way, driving my legal fees to astronomical levels on matters that had nothing to do with the core issue in the case. No tactic was out of bounds for the city and its lawyers – they even attacked my gender and marital status.
“The Michigan Legislature needs to address delay in the trial and appellate courts for FOIA lawsuits. Public bodies shouldn’t be able to force FOIA litigants to choose between bankruptcy and their right to receive public records. Loopholes that allow public officials, officers, and employees to use personal and other non-governmental communication methods to hide information from the public need to be closed. Under the current statute, FOIA requesters must choose between appealing to the same public body that denied their request or filing a lawsuit, incurring legal fees and costs. A state department should be created and funded that would allow aggrieved FOIA requesters an opportunity to also have their FOIA appeals considered independently before having to hire an attorney to vindicate their rights.
“Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank the Michigan Coalition for Open Government for this honor. Your amicus support in the Michigan Supreme Court, along with the other media organizations, was invaluable, deeply appreciated, and most importantly, presented the statutory construction argument accepted by a majority of the Michigan Supreme Court. I also want to thank the many people who supported me during the litigation – Richard Bisio, my husband, champion, and the best FOIA litigator I could have asked for; Robin Luce-Herrmann, Butzel Long; Herschel Fink, Detroit Free Press, Inc.; the Clarkston News, our outstanding local newspaper; and, finally, all of Clarkston’s ‘secret squirrels’ for their unending support and encouragement (they know who they are). None of this would have been possible without the support of all of these people.”
Formed in 2012, MICOG is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition that protects the right to open government through educational activities, policy recommendations and the legal process.