Tough Economy Forces OFRG To Close Doors

The Board of Directors of Oklahomans for Responsible Government has voted unanimously to close down the non-profit group, effective December 31st.

“The combination of a tough economy and an election cycle that collected millions in donations has created a climate where a non-profit organization finds it hard to raise funds,” said OFRG Communications Director and Projects Manager Peter J. Rudy.

“While I believe that the cause of transparency and fiscal responsibility is important, contributions are needed to continue these causes and the support is not available for 2011.”

OFRG was created in January of 2008. Since then, it has helped bring the issue of open government to the forefront of discussions at the State Capitol.

It was OFRG that first advocated for an upgrade of the state’s spending website to Open Books 2.0. Through projects like the Blueprint for Transparency series that looked at school district and municipal websites, taxpayers have benefited because more information is now available online.

Brian Downs, OFRG's executive director since its inception, left in November to join the staff of House Speaker Kris Steele.

Rudy will be the new editor of Oklahoma Watchdog, a non-profit investigative reporting and analysis website.

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