Another friend said there are "sunshine laws" that require such meetings to be open.

Such photos had been open records as part of the state's Sunshine Law.

If a meeting takes place via E-mail, of course, that can be seen as circumventing a sunshine law.

Ku was especially active in the 1980s, fighting on behalf of Hawaii's sunshine law.

"That might be a violation of the Sunshine Law," he said.

And since the commission operated under strict sunshine laws, there was never an opportunity to fashion a compromise in private.

It was disclosed only as a result of lawsuits filed under Florida's admirable sunshine law.

However, meeting with each council member individually to elicit support may also violate the sunshine law, according to several real estate lawyers.

The "sunshine law" requiring governing bodies to meet publicly came out of a subcommittee she headed.

According to most sunshine laws, a majority of a panel is not allowed to meet to discuss policy unless the public is notified.