WBA Newsroom
Two attempts to peel back the veil of secrecy over the proliferation of data centers are being honored in this year’s Openness in Government Awards, or Opees, bestowed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.
The awards also recognize a district attorney who took seriously his obligations to enforce the records law and a now-deceased city council member who blew the whistle on an attempt to hide a proposed development from public view, as well as media efforts to pry loose information about police disciplinary investigations and K-12 educators accused of misconduct.
Meanwhile, a school district administrator who threatened a TV reporter and camera operator with arrest for seeking to film a public meeting received a “Nopee,” the Council’s sole negative award.
The Opee Awards, now in their 20th consecutive year, recognize outstanding efforts to protect the state’s tradition of open government, as well as highlight some threats to it. They are being announced in advance of national Sunshine Week, March 15-21. Winners have been invited to appear at a free public event in Madison on March 19. (See WFOIC website for details.)
“There was a lot of good reporting and advocacy on open government issues this year, and we are pleased to have such worthy winners in all categories,” said Bill Lueders, council president. “And we can safely say we’ve never had a more deserving recipient of our ‘No Friend to Openness,’ or Nopee, award.”
The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that seeks to promote open government. It consists of about two dozen members representing media and other public interests. Sponsoring organizations include the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and Wisconsin Associated Press.
The judging committee for this year consisted of Lueders, Council Vice President Christa Westerberg, former La Crosse Tribune editor and publisher Rusty Cunningham, and Wisconsin Newspaper Association executive director Beth Bennett.
Awards are being given this year in six categories. The winners are:
Public Openness Advocate (Popee): Vilas County District Attorney Karl Hayes
District attorneys in Wisconsin are statutorily empowered to enforce the state’s open records and open meetings laws, but in practice rarely do so. Early this year, Hayes showed how it can be done, warning officials in the town of Presque Isle that they needed to comply with a nearly year-old request from the Lakeland Times newspaper for records regarding the town’s computers. His intervention succeeded, and the records were released. Other DAs might look for occasions where they can turn the lever in favor of openness.
Citizen Openness Advocate (Copee): Midwest Environmental Advocates
This nonprofit public interest law firm last year filed two pivotal lawsuits challenging the secrecy surrounding data center projects. The first, against the city of Racine, forced the prompt release of water usage projections for Microsoft’s Mount Pleasant campus. The second lawsuit, against the state Public Service Commission (PSC), contested the “trade secret” status of energy demand data for Meta’s proposed data center in Beaver Dam; that case is pending. Kudos to MEA for insisting on the public’s right to know.
Media Openness Advocate (Mopee): The Badger Project
In recent years, this nonprofit news outlet has been requesting records from police departments around the state about internal investigations of police officers and suing when they are not provided. In 2025, it filed three such lawsuits — against a police department in Racine County, the state Department of Transportation, and St. Croix County. All led to the release of records. The Badger Project is now appealing St. Croix County’s refusal to pay attorney fees, which could lead to the overturning of a deeply problematic state Supreme Court decision. Fingers crossed.
Open Records Scoop of the Year (Scoopee): Tie: Tom Kertscher of Wisconsin Watch; Danielle DuClos of The Cap Times
Among much other good reporting on openness issues, the work of these two print journalists stands out. Kertscher pulled back the curtain on the secrecy surrounding data centers, including at least four projects in which local officials signed nondisclosure agreements with the companies. And DuClos reported on how the state Department of Public Instruction secretly investigated more than 200 Wisconsin K-12 educators accused of sexual misconduct or grooming behaviors toward students, prompting a statewide audit and legislative action.
No Friend of Openness (Nopee): Deborah Kerr, superintendent of the St. Francis School District
While there were other contenders for this award, there was also little question that Kerr would be the winner and new champion. Last June, she threatened to have a TMJ4 News reporter and camera operator arrested for wanting to film a school board meeting “because you did not give us any notice or tell us why you were here,” neither of which is required. The jaw-dropping video (see for yourself at https://tinyurl.com/zvam889a) went viral, and Kerr issued a weak apology, but her eruption is one for the ages. Credit reporter Megan Lee for her deft handling of the situation.
Whistleblower of the Year (Whoopee): John Sigwart
This former Port Washington city council member refused to keep the public in the dark about a clandestinely proposed microchip production facility, revealing that local officials had signed nondisclosure agreements. The city’s mayor retaliated by stripping Sigwart of his committee appointments, precipitating an end to his many years of public service, said an editorial in the Ozaukee Press. Sigwart died in August at age 80, but his example of courage will live on.