A widely admired and valued friend of open government died today.
I didn't know Mike Farrell as the editor of the Kentucky Post or as a journalism professor at the University of Kentucky.
I first knew him as an individual whose passion for open government equaled or surpassed mine and, later, as a colleague who took the idea of a training video — aimed at educating Kentucky's officials about their duties, and Kentucky's citizens about their rights, under the state's Sunshine Laws — and made it a reality.
That effort found little support among Kentucky's elected officials. It was Mike who obtained funding and spearheaded our efforts.
The resulting open records and meetings educational video is the only one of its kind available in the state. It is hosted by Renee Shaw and features heroes of Kentucky journalism and open government like Al Smith and Jon Fleischaker (with a guest appearance by the Coalition's own Jeremy Rogers).
But the real hero of this effort was Mike Farrell. A blip on the radar in a life that touched so many lives, but a tribute to his unwavering belief in the value of open government.
