1,000 People in Our Seat

SEELEY LAKE – We take our seat and flip on our recorder. Often the only "public" in the room, we represent more than 1,000 readers. Many of the local boards welcome us because our articles provides the public information about what they are doing while others would rather conduct their business without the publicity. But it's not about publicity, it's about sunshine.

The week of March 11-17 is the 17th annual Sunshine Week. News outlets nationwide will promote the idea that democracy works only when government discussions and decisions are made in the open or "in the sunshine."

Transparency means a lack of hidden agendas and conditions, accompanied by the availability of full information required for collaboration, cooperation, and collective decision making. It is also an essential condition for a free and open exchange whereby the rules and reasons behind regulatory measures are fair and clear to all participants. Only when citizens know the facts surrounding decisions can they be armed with information allowing them to make intelligent, informed decisions to help guide government representatives.

The Pathfinder's readers depend on us to provide accurate information from meetings so they know what was discussed, decisions that were made and how they can get involved if they choose. The information is never meant to be bad or good, just a tool to let people form their own opinions.

Serving on our local boards is commendable and a great service to our community. Once someone steps into that role, they become a political figure. Nothing they say or do within that role should be hidden.

The challenge facing board members is they often have never run a school, a fire department or a community council, however they are tasked with making decisions that affect taxpayers' pocketbooks and create policy that impacts employees of those districts, potentially benefiting or hurting the community.

Not only should the decisions made by boards be public, all the discussion that goes into those decisions should be held in the sunshine for all to see. Many don't understand that.

In addition to anything said in public meetings, emails between board members and with district managers and correspondence from the public are also part of a public record subject to inspection and critique from those they represent.

The power of our local boards is incredible. Trustees have been elected to represent the community. If they are trying to hide discussion, decisions or actions it begs the question why?

The Pathfinder reporters are tasked with reporting what is discussed at the meetings regardless of our opinion and/or how the public may perceive the information.

If our article causes the seats to be filled at the next meeting, then we hope more engagement will bring about positive change in how that slice of local government is working. But if it is just us at the next month's meeting, we will continue to provide our readers with the information they need to help keep our local government in the light.