From the Daily Camera (Boulder):  If ACLU members had known the Boulder City Council might destroy executive session recordings shortly after the conclusion of litigation, the organization might not have abandoned its long-held opposition to closed meetings, its local chairman said.

“If we had realized the city would be taking this kind of action, we might have gone the other way,” said Barry Satlow, chairman of the Boulder County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Boulder residents voted 56 to 44 percent in this fall’s election to allow the City Council to meet in closed sessions to get legal advice and discuss negotiation strategy related to the formation of a municipal energy utility.

While state law allows city governments to meet in closed session to discuss legal matters, personnel decisions and real estate transactions, the city charter had previously required that all meetings be open.

The first executive session is scheduled for Dec. 8.

The local chapter of the ACLU had opposed previous efforts to create executive session authority but decided to support Issue 2B, with the condition that the records be released when litigation is over.

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