By By Buddy Bynum/The Meridian Star
May 30, 2001
Incumbent Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith has joined two other mayoral candidates in pledging to support Mississippi's open meetings and public records laws.
Lynn Evans, director of the Mississippi Freedom of Information Center, said Tuesday that Smith has joined Democratic nominee William Hugh Johnson and Independent Bill McBride in pledging to promote openness in city government.
The center has called on all mayoral candidates in 14 Mississippi cities to sign a Freedom of Information Pledge. The pledge puts candidates on record as supporting the Mississippi Open Meetings Law and the Mississippi Public Records Act.
Evans said Independent Charlie Haynes had not responded to the invitation as of Tuesday.
The center is a statewide, tax-exempt organization dedicated to protecting the people's right to know what their government is doing.