[OldBaldGuy]

What you have there (and it's common practice for public boards other than the NGPC) is a practice that meets the letter of the law while violating the spirit of the law. As long as the actual vote is taken in an "open" meeting, the practice is legal. Nevermind that the public has had no opportunity to hear the debate that led to those votes.

The rationale that is always given for this practice is that commissioners/trustees/directors should be allowed to ask stupid questions without public embarassment (eg, if the topic is Johnson Lake, the member should be able to ask "Where is Johnson?"). I'd always respond to that question with a question of my own: "Doesn't the public have the right to know how dumb some of their representatives really are?"

Personally, I think it's a "big deal," whether it's the NGPC, the Regents, or any other board theoretically answerable to the public. It's simply bad government.