Secretary of State Sam Reed, who has made government transparency and access to public records a signature issue during his three terms, has been ann0unced as the 2011 winner of the James Madison Award of the Washington Coalition for Open Government.

The award honors Reed’s “appreciation for, and dedication to, the cause of open government since taking office,” including advocacy of accessible and accountable government, preserving and displaying public records, battling successfully in the Supreme Court to defend the public’s right to initiative signatures,  and creating the Digital Archives in Cheney, serving customers and voters online, and saving the State Library.

WCOG President Toby Nixon said:

“Sam Reed has been a consistently strong and outspoken proponent of preservation of and access to public records, including being a champion of establishing the first state-level Digital Archives for public records in the country. We can only hope that our next Secretary of State continues Reed’s leadership in defending and extending the public’s right to know.”

Reed, who recently announced that he will not seek a fourth term next year, will receive the award at a breakfast ceremony Sept. 23 in Seattle. The award has been presented annually since 2004 to honor the works of those who bring openness, transparency and accountability to government institutions in the Evergreen State.