The New England First Amendment Coalition will honor David Saad, president of the open-government group Right to Know NH, with its 2019 Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award.
The Citizenship Award is given to New Englanders who have fought for information crucial to the public’s understanding of its community or what its government is doing — or not doing — on its behalf.
Saad will be honored at NEFAC’s ninth annual awards luncheon on Feb. 15 for his advocacy and volunteer work.
In 2013, Saad and several other citizens formed Right to Know NH as a nonpartisan citizen coalition working to improve transparency of New Hampshire state, county, and local governments.
Saad’s advocacy includes drafting legislation to strengthen the state’s Right to Know Law and testifying during legislative hearings. He has developed training materials and conducts training seminars on the public’s right to know.
In 2017, Saad served on a commission established by the New Hampshire Legislature to study alternative processes that could be used to resolve public grievances involving public records and open meetings. He played a key role in drafting the commission’s findings report and proposed legislation intended to establish an independent ombudsman and appeals commission.
“David is a long-time champion of open government in New Hampshire,” said Justin Silverman, NEFAC’s executive director. “His work throughout the years has helped make the state more transparent and citizens more informed.”
The
Citizenship Award will be presented at NEFAC’s New England
First Amendment Awards luncheon from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Renaissance
Boston Waterfront Hotel. Tickets can be purchased here.
During the
luncheon, Stephen
Engelberg of ProPublica will be honored with the Stephen Hamblett First Amendment Award. WCVB-Boston’s
Janet Wu, a member of NEFAC’s Board of Directors, is master of ceremonies.
WBUR-Boston is the
luncheon’s primary sponsor. Other sponsors, table hosts and supporters include Roger Williams
University, The Boston Globe, Boston
University,Emerson College, Northeastern
University and Boston 25 News.