Local Transparency – Editoral by Publisher Mike Scott

I’ll get right to it.  This column is about local government transparency.

Twice in two days this past week, in two separate communities, my reporters told me that city officials don’t want too much information put in the newspaper.

In one case, we accurately reported something stated publicly in a public meeting.  It concerned a maintenance project being undertaken by the city-nothing controversial and absolutely necessary-but one that would impact the public.

In the other case, the city is deciding to put less details in their meeting minutes.

Are alarm bells ringing for you?  What are local government officials trying to keep from the public?

In most cases, it’s probably nothing sinister or important.  They’re probably just trying to avoid the inevitable telephone call from a member of the public or otherwise avoid controversy.

Here’s the thing though.  Local government, like all levels of government, is supposed to work for the public.  Local government is the most accessible level of government.  You see your community officials every day-at the grocery store, bank, gas station or church. Their kids play on the same teams that your kids play on.

Local officials do, however, still work for the public, and as elected or appointed officials need to remember that the public has the right to know what they are doing.  They have chosen to seek their positions, and as a result, they need to honor the obligations that come with it-including transparency.

Here are five good reasons for local government transparency:

1. Accountability: Transparency holds government officials accountable for their actions and decisions. It makes it easier to detect and address corruption, misconduct, and inefficiency.

2. Trust: Open government practices help build trust between the public and local government. When citizens can see what their community leaders are doing and why, they are more likely to trust them.

3. Informed Citizenry: Transparency ensures that citizens have access to the information they need to participate fully in the democratic process. An informed public can make better decisions about voting, civic engagement, and holding officials accountable.

4. Public Participation: When the government operates transparently, it encourages public participation in policy-making and governance. Members of the public can contribute ideas, offer feedback, and be involved in the decision-making process.

5. Reduction of Misinformation: By providing clear and accurate information, transparency reduces the spread of misinformation and helps combat fake news.

I’ll add a sixth point, one aimed directly at local officials:

  6. It makes your jobs easier:  If members of the public know and understand what you’re doing, they’re less likely to make that angry phone call or jump on Facebook to air their complaints with “questionable accuracy”.

Also, if you maintain accurate and detailed minutes of your meetings, you, or your successors in office, can look back to see what was done in the past and why.

I can tell you from over 20 years of attending hundreds of city council and school board meetings, a lot of time is spent on rehashing decisions made years ago, simply because nobody on the board remembers, or was even on the board at the time.

City councils, county commissions, school boards and a host of other public entities’ meetings are open to the public.  The agenda of business to be considered at the meeting should be publicly posted and available, and they should stick only to that business on the agenda (which often times they don’t, but that’s a column for another day).

Under certain circumstances, and for specific reasons, the public body is allowed to close the meeting.  It is almost never required to close a meeting.

So, what can you do to promote local government transparency?

First of all, attend a meeting.  Learn firsthand what public boards are doing, how they do it and why.  Ask questions.

Second, let board members know what you think. The best ideas come when many people contribute.

Third, support your local newspaper.  Most of the time, we’re the only members of the public in attendance at the meeting.  Your support allows us to attend public meetings, and when we can’t, we rely on meeting minutes.  Either way, local newspapers present the actions of your public officials to the public-usually right on the front page for the world to see.

And that’s transparency.