Keeping Public Records Open Takes Work

John Paff is something of a celebrity in South New Jersey. Some love him, others hate him, but he certainly inspires strong feelings in both proponents and opponents of open public records.

One would be hard-pressed to label the 52-year-old married father of two of Franklin Township in Somerset County, a typical meddling busybody or champion of the masses. He has a successful business that runs itself, and enough time, money and conviction on his hands to police local government offices. His self-imposed goal: to oversee public entities' adherence to open public records legislation.

Paff is not an attorney, but he leads citizens by example, demonstrating that with enough dedication and desire to learn, almost anyone can defend their rights. He certainly does his part, invariably calling local government officials on their attempts to suppress documentation that should be a matter of public record. So far, he has filed twelve lawsuits under the Open Public Records Act, another twelve under the Open Public Meetings Act, and over fifty complaints with the Government Records Council, an agency appointed to mediate cases dealing with open public records. And he wins more often than he loses. You Go, John!