We need more sunshine
Does the media put enough pressure on government at all levels? Are the state and federal open government laws strong enough? Do common citizens have enough access to government information, records and officials?
The answer, in my opinion, to all three questions is “no.”
Why would government want to be more open in the first place? It certainly would make their jobs harder - would Google would have come to Lenoir if that secret could not have been kept. Who said the job should be easy?
It also would enable more public oversight of decision making and input on actions before they are finalized. How many times has a decision been made in a public meeting with little discussion? You can't convince me that a complicated issue was debated thoroughly, a consensus reached and the public's interest served with the minimal amount of attention given in open meetings. Too often it happens behind closed doors, on the telephone among board members and in “legal” meetings that circumvent the spirit of the Sunshine Laws.
Though most government bodies follow the rules, it still happens too often, and at all levels of government.
So how do we stop it? We demand that they do better; we support laws that encourage shining the light on the government actions and candidates who want open government.
Of course there are some exceptions to the rule, and there are sensitive subjects that should be dealt with behind closed doors. Those issues include private personnel issues, some economic negotiations and some legal matters. Those topics already are protected by existing Sunshine Laws, therefore, they can be discussed behind closed doors.
National security also should be at the top of the list, but far too many times, the government has abused its rights and done things the public never would have supported had it happened in the light of day.
I just can't help but wonder: do all of our local elected officials know and understand the rules that govern their meetings, and more importantly, do they follow them? Who's going to call them on it if they don't? Since there's no one representing the public (the media or private citizens) who are allowed in the meeting, who's holding them accountable?
That's a lot of trust. I tend to trust people until they give me a reason not to, but I'm still not so sure that the law should lean as far as it does toward protecting government. I, along with many others in the media and general public, would like to see more sunshine in our various government agencies, boardrooms and offices.
I keep two copies of the North Carolina Media Law Handbook in my office, as well as a CD-ROM version. They can be obtained through the North Carolina Press Association for a small fee, but anyone out there who is curious about Sunshine Laws, you are welcome to come by and look at the materials I keep here. That goes for government officials as well, though I hope they already are familiar with them.
In fact, that gives me an idea. Though it wasn't asked in our initial questionnaire mailings to primary candidates, I'll go ahead and ask the questions now: “What is your philosophy of government openness? How important is it to American democracy?”
I'll be more than happy to print any candidate's response to this question (300 words or less) on this page between now and the Primary Election. The response could mean the difference in winning the public's support.
Edward Terry
Editor