Sometimes government needs to be reminded that public records belong to the public. The government may
provide the storage space, but they don’t own the records.
Every 10 years, the Ohio Newspaper Association tests just how well local governments are adhering to the
rules requiring that they share public records with anyone who asks. Citizens should not have to reveal
their names or reasons for wanting the information – it is supposed to be shared freely with anyone who
asks.
This year’s public records audit showed that Ohio is doing better than a decade ago, but that there is
still room for improvement.
That includes Wood County, where the requests were met with varying results. Some offices responded to
requests with prompt paperwork and even a pleasant smile. But others met the records requests with
resistance, eye-rolling and even denial.
It’s not that our records requests were made by grumpy reporters, rudely demanding the paperwork.
We sent out the sweetest person in the office to act like an average citizen asking for public records at
local governmental offices. Our intern, Tara Keller, was perfect for the job, since few public employees
knew her, she looks like a teenager, and she is genuinely pleasant. Like the reporters in Ohio’s other
87 counties, Keller went through training on exactly what offices to visit, which records to request,
and how to word the requests.
Two of the offices she went to got gold stars for the public service. The Wood County Commissioners’
Office and Bowling Green City Administration employees granted her records requests with no questions
asked. They promptly turned over meeting minutes, salary information and a public official’s expense
sheets.
But two other offices seemed to forget that they are just the caretakers of the records.
At the Bowling Green City Schools Administrative Offices, Keller’s requests for the school
superintendent’s salary and the most recent expense reimbursement form was met with a request for her
name and reason for wanting the information. By law, she was not obligated to say. The district employee
eventually gave Keller the salary information. But the employee, saying she was confused about the
expense request, would only give Keller a blank reimbursement sheet.
At her next stop, the Bowling Green Police Department, Keller found further resistance. Instead of the
incident reports she requested, Keller was met with questions about her identity and purpose for wanting
the reports.
Keller repeated her request, and after much eye rolling and under the breath muttering, the records clerk
turned over the report.
When done, four records requests were granted immediately, one was granted partially, and one was denied.
That puts Wood County behind the 64 counties that handed over all the requests made by the undercover
reporters.
But that also makes Wood County look darn good compared to Clinton County, where a clerk called the
sheriff’s office when the reporter declined to provide identification. And in some counties the school
districts required the reporters to fill out public records request forms – which is a violation of Ohio
law.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office mandates elected officials to attend three-hour public records
trainings. However, that training does no good if it doesn’t trickle down to the person at the front
desk when a citizen walks in.
Reporters are frequently bemoaning the fact that public offices are too protective of records that belong
to the citizens. And many citizens are reluctant to demand what is due to them – and are intimidated by
public employees offering any resistance to their requests. Reporters and citizens shouldn’t have to
fight for records that rightly belong to them.