I keep track of my activities as a Supervisor partly because I want to be accountable to residents, but also to make sure I am making the best use of my time. It's really an honor to serve the community! I learn something new every day and have met many fine people and volunteers who also put in a lot of time without any compensation at all.

In 2022, I spent a total of 527 hours (an average of 44 hours per month) engaged in official Supervisor activities that included preparing for and attending meetings and interacting with residents. This compares to 481 hours (an average of 40 hours per month) on such activities in 2021.

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[OpEd by Harry Hartman is publisher of the Gettysburg Times in Adams County. He is also board chairman of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Published in the Bucks County Courier Times.]

The rights of free speech and a free press are historically and inextricably intertwined. Today and moving forward, these rights demand protection as much, if not more, than ever.

Pennsylvania celebrates Sunshine Week March 13- 19, and there is an excellent reason for choosing this timeframe.

Those of us in the media rally in support of Sunshine Week as it allows us to remind government officials that they are answerable for their actions. There are few things more important than holding our government accountable. This accountability requires transparency. If left unchecked, inefficient government can rob citizens not only of their hard-earned dollars, but also of their very freedom.

I try to attend local government meetings where I personally have skin in the game. Both as a journalist and as a taxpayer, I want to know how my elected officials are representing me and how they are spending my tax dollars.

What can you as citizens do to protect the freedoms of speech and press that you are guaranteed by the Constitution?

Attend local borough council and township supervisor meetings. Ask questions about how police resources are being allocated and how your tax dollars are being spent. It is your money; you should want to know how it is being spent.

With the official arrival of spring, we as a state and nation are trying to finally put the pandemic behind us. Sunshine Week is a very appropriate time to look forward to the warmth of times to come in an upbeat and transparent light.