CFAC's general counsel and executive director resign

Change is in the wind at CFAC. Executive Director Kent Pollock and General Counsel Terry Francke have both resigned, but CFAC President Dick Rogers said the organization and its services would continue, and hopefully thrive.

Francke, who said he is starting another non-profit organization, left last week. Pollock, who told the CFAC board in January that he wanted to leave, has agreed to stay with CFAC until May 1 or whenever he is replaced.

"The board hates to see both Kent and Terry leave, but we also realize that it's important to move forward with CFAC's mission," said CFAC President Dick Rogers, the San Francisco Chronicle's reader representative. "We're are exploring a number of potentially exciting possibilities."

CFAC's signature Hotline service, which gives open government and free expression advice to members and the public, will continue with the assistance of CFAC's statewide network of more than 30 attorneys.

At its April 14 meeting in Ontario, CFAC's board will review executive director applications and a number of proposals from law firms to permanently service the Hotline and do open government training for the organization throughout the year.

"Other committees have begun the process of seeking new board members to fill several vacancies giving us the opportunity to diversity the board and broaden our base," Rogers said. He noted that an accomplished fundraising professional has also been retained to draft a master fundraising plan for CFAC.

Meanwhile, a committee has begun planning for OpenGov04, which will be held Oct. 7-9 in partnership with the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

"CFAC is an incredible coalition of journalists, attorneys, civic activists and public officials that will live long and prosper regardless of who is on staff," said Pollock. "The good will surrounding the open government movement is astounding. I will always treasure the experience of being CFAC's executive director and working with Terry Francke, who is a friend and brilliant advocate for government transparency and free expression.

Francke, who joined CFAC in 1990, said he looks forward to the challenge and flexibility of a smaller organization. "The move allows the coalition the important opportunity to assure continuity of legal services without dependence on key employees," he said.

"The board has grown over the years, involving a richer mix of professional backgrounds and public interest perspectives beyond journalism," Francke said. "There's a plan in placethat will stand CFAC in good stead during this transition and in years to come."

Francke characterized his board directors as "wise, thoughtful and generous, and valued collaborators." But he felt compelled, he said, publicly to salute six people in particular for their extraordinary contributions to his years with the organization.

"Mel Opotowsky, former editor of the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, is CFAC's true founding father and guiding conscience. CFAC simply would not have been born but for his work, and would not have stayed on track but for his tireless, principled attention to detail and integrity. On his watch even before that, his newspaper's historic litigation all the way to the Supreme Court added open court proceedings to the array of
our First Amendment rights.

"Rowland Rebele, career newspaper publisher and long-time philanthropist supporting a wide portfolio of endeavors in the arts, social services and journalism education, is CFAC's angel as well. The Coalition would have closed its doors long ago without his astounding generosity, to say nothing of his zest, penetrating guidance and good cheer.

"Bruce Brugmann, editor and publisher of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, has made CFAC's priorities his own in educating readers in depth annually at just this time -- James Madison's birthday -- on the importance of freedom of information, and in spearheading establishment of San Francisco's unique Sunshine Ordinance.

"Rich McKee, the Pasadena Community College professor who became CFAC's first non-journalist president, over the past several years has transformed its effectiveness in personally taking both carrot and stick to southern California government agencies -- enforcing open meeting and public records law even to the point of filing suits himself -- and winning them.

"Dick Rogers, reader's representative at the San Francisco Chronicle and CFAC's president, deserves my special note of gratitude in doing all he could to persuade me to stay on, and deserves corresponding support from the board and the membership in tackling the job ahead.

"And finally my staff colleague in these recent years, Executive Director Kent Pollock. I know no one more keen for journalism's challenge to dig out the facts and present them fairly, and in this job for bringing the same enthusiasm and integrity to the task of helping citizens keep government open and responsible."