A high-profile panel on transportation was scheduled to meet last night at the home of a member.
The dinner, featuring a catered buffet and a flamenco band, was to be held on private Figure Eight Island near Wilmington.
It was not open to the public because of an exception in the Open Meetings Law that allows government bodies to have a "social meeting" where no business is discussed.
"We're not having a meeting. We're having dinner," said Brad Wilson, chair of the 21st Century Transportation Committee. "It's a social event."
But First Amendment lawyer Hugh Stevens said the loophole means the public has only the word of the officials to rely on.
"It invites people to skirt the law, even though they'll be well-meaning and well-intentioned," he said. (Char-O)
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