Editorial: Public deserves sunshine

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Jan Larson
McLaughlin

Doing business in the bright light of public scrutiny can be very uncomfortable at times. That may be
even more true in local government, where many public officials are related to, or acquainted with the
constituents they serve.
But that’s what is expected – and required – of governmental bodies. And that is the reason the media
recognizes this week each year as Sunshine Week, intended to promote access to public information.
I truly believe that the majority of local officials in Wood County intend to follow the rules for open
meetings and public records. But I also believe that far more discussions take place behind closed doors
than the law allows. It’s not necessarily that the governmental bodies are intending to deceive or have
any nefarious plans. It’s just easier to conduct business without the glare of sunshine and unwanted
questions from the public or the media.
So here’s to the township trustees, the village councils, the school boards and the health boards who
take time to learn the rules outlining when they have to discuss matters in public and when they have to
hand over public records.
Occasionally, reporters and citizens have to fight to hear the discussion or view records that are
clearly covered by the Sunshine Law.
In southwest Ohio, a judge recently ruled that a group of township trustees violated open meetings law by
holding informal gatherings prior to their public meetings. The trustees would talk about such matters
as a lawn care contract or zoning nuisance policy – nothing incredibly sensitive, but topics the public
had a right to hear.
The court agreed there was no evidence that any of the trustees’ behavior was mean-spirited or that they
deliberately intended to break the law. But that was no excuse, the judge added, for denying the public
a right to be part of the process.
In Maine, the state’s top court just ruled in favor of a newspaper that had been denied information about
a double murder.
In both of these cases, the governmental units only complied with the law after lawsuits were filed.
A 2012 report by the Center for Public Integrity and partner organizations gave more than half of state
governments grades of D or F for transparency and accountability. The report noted that several states
have open records laws with hundreds of exemptions, and others made critical budget decisions out of the
public’s view.
In a survey of more than 450 state and local reporters to be released this week, a large majority said
that public information officers for agencies they cover are increasingly restricting access to
officials and hindering efforts to get government information.
It was just last year that Ohio’s legislators took a step to deny public access by voting to allow
governmental bodies to go into executive session to discuss any matters related to economic development.
At least one township in Wood County has invoked that new power twice since it was enacted.
And that’s just what we know about. For those who sit in on several governmental functions, it’s hard not
to be suspicious that sunshine rules go abused when decisions are made with little discussion and no
debate during public meetings.
It’s unfortunate the public has to demand information that rightly belongs to them.
So let the sun shine in. Let the public hear the discussion and view the records. They deserve to be part
of the process.

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