Gary Ingram, Author of Idaho’s Open Meeting Law, Dies

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former state Rep. Gary Ingram, the original author of Idaho's Open Meeting Law, has died. He was 84. Ingram's wife, Thelma, said her husband passed away Thursday, just one day after his birthday. She says Ingram was a remarkable man and he will be missed by many. Ingram led the effort in 1974 to codify a simple but important Idaho value: The public's business ought to be done in public and not in secret. Ingram served four terms as a Post Falls state representative in the Idaho Legislature from 1972 to 1980, but remained a vocal advocate for government transparency after leaving the Statehouse by speaking out against legislative attempts to restrict public access to government meetings. Brent Regan, chairman Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, called Ingram a true Republican.