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Albany County Legislators: Keep Some Virtual Meetings After Pandemic

Environmental activist Aaron Mair looks on as Albany County Legislature Chair Andrew Joyce addresses the crowd outside the Capital Center.
WAMC photo by Dave Lucas
Environmental activist Aaron Mair looks on as Albany County Legislature Chair Andrew Joyce addresses the crowd outside the Capital Center.

When the COVID emergency began in March of 2020, local governments had to quickly adapt. Public meetings across the Northeast migrated to Zoom as states made emergency allowances to open meetings laws. Now that public life is reopening, should some of those changes be allowed to remain in place?

The chair of the 39-memeber Albany County Legislature says yes. Democrat Andrew Joyce and his colleagues wrote to state lawmakers asking them to consider tweaks to the Open Meetings Law, saying participation actually increased during the pandemic. 

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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