A quorum of the Lenexa Governing Body was photographed together recently at a Chamber of Commerce event for the opening of Lakeview Village’s Water’s Edge Pub. This occurred outside the setting of a public meeting.⁣
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The photo alone does not prove a Kansas Open Meetings Act violation. We do not know what was discussed, and we cannot say city business was part of the conversation. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭.⁣
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When a quorum gathers outside a public meeting, residents are left to trust that city business stayed out of the conversation… but the public has no way to know.⁣
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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.