State Sen. Marci Francisco will be honored for her efforts to make government open and accessible to the people.

The Lawrence Democrat is the eighth recipient of the Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award from the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County.

“She is a dedicated person and has shown that she is certainly caring for her community,” said Robert Fluker, husband of the late Helen Fluker.

Carrie Lindsey, the League’s president-elect, said Francisco has been nominated for the award in the past and was nominated again this year by Candace Davis of the Oread Neighborhood Association.

Lindsey recalled Francisco’s work on the City Commission. She said Francisco suggested the commission move its coffee chats into a setting where the public could participate.

“That’s just one instance, a small thing you can do to make the process more accessible and open to the public,” Lindsey said.

She said Francisco has been nominated for the award several times.

“Marci certainly is always willing to listen,” Lindsey said. “And she’s been an excellent mentor about what is the way to approach a problem. … She has always got a good, pragmatic approach to trying to make a complex situation work out positively for everybody involved.”

The award ceremony will be held from noon to 2 p.m. March 29 at Brandon Woods’ Smith Center. Tickets cost $12.50 per person. Reservations can be made by calling Lindsey at 766-8561 or sending an e-mail to: carrieblindsey@yahoo.com.