Courtney Graff to receive state Sunshine in Government Award

Medford attorney Courtney Graff is being recognized with statewide award for her efforts to keep government more open to voters and residents.

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Sunshine in Government Awards recognize Wisconsin citizens and public officials who have helped foster government transparency and protect the public’s right to know.

As corporation counsel for Taylor County and other municipalities in Wisconsin, Courtney Graff has consistently steered government officials toward greater opennnes. Practicing law since 2012, she is the owner of Schmiege & Graff Law Firm. When county board members recently requested discussion about a staff member who destroyed public documents be held in closed session, she advised against it, urging the body to consider the greater public interest. She is resolute in her narrow interpretation of public records and open meetings laws and routinely encourages local government to operate in the public eye.

In addition, to Graff, the WNA is awarding a Sunshine In Government Award to state public records attorney Mary E. Burke.

Through her work as a public servant for the state of Wisconsin, Mary E. Burke has helped foster government transparency and protect the public’s right to know throughout her career. Serving as a lead public records attorney at Wisconsin Department of Justice for more than 10 years, she facilitated access to public records and increased understanding of sunshine laws by educating and advising individuals from the governor’s office to a rural part-time clerks office and everything in between. After leaving DOJ in 2014, she continued to do important public records work as in-house counsel at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, where she worked until her retirement in 2022.

The award recipients will be honored during a banquet on Thursday, Nov. 9, at The Madison Club, 5 E. Wilson, St., Madison. The event, which is open to the public, will begin with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at https://wnanews.formstack.com/forms/hall_of_fame.

In addition to the award recipients, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and WNA Foundation will also be recognizing the 2023 inductees into the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame.

WNAF’s Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the newspaper industry in Wisconsin.

Hall of Fame inductees inlcude: Mark Hertzberg – A veteran, award-winning photojournalist, Mark Hertzberg dedicated himself to capturing unforgettable images that told powerful stories during his 40-plus year career — much of which was spent at The (Racine) Journal Times. But his success goes well beyond the numerous state, regional and national accolades he’s received for his photography. Hertzberg helped to get cameras back in Wisconsin courtrooms, and he worked on the issue nationally as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Press Photographers Association. As a member of NPPA’s Committee on Police and Press Relations, he wrote guidelines that a number of police agencies across the country adopted. He has served as a mentor and role model not only to Journal Times photographers, but to the staff reporters as well. A passionate preservation advocate, he is the author and photographer of four books about Frank Lloyd Wright’s work in southeastern Wisconsin.

Tim Lyke – A longtime member of the WNA Board of Directors and past president of the association, Tim Lyke worked tirelessly to champion issues of importance to the newspaper industry — from advocating on behalf of freedom of information to defending the importance of government notices in newspapers to supporting journalism education. Lyke owned and operated the Ripon Commonwealth Press for nearly 30 years before selling his family’s newspaper in 2019.