A local coalition for open government

The following editorial appeared in the July 12, 2006 edition of the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader.

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A local coalition for open government

Do Jefferson County residents guide their government or does the government do as it pleases?

The only real control the peasantry has over the palace is that our state has good laws that demand that discussions and decisions made by our government be open to the public. Most indications are that most local officials know the law or are open to being reminded. Special kudos go to Port Townsend City Manager David Timmons and to City Attorney John Watts, who have had cause recently to assert the public's right to know and learn of the inner machinery of government documents and decisions. Oughtright applause goes to the Public Utility District commissioners, who go so far as to let the public know when two or more of them (a voting majority) are taking a trip to a seminar. For this they have been singled out for priase by Washington State Auditor Brian Sonntag.

The County of Jefferson has its highlights and its lowlights. One example of the latter concerns recent closed-door negotiations between county officials and Washington Environmental Council related to critical areas and stream buffers. The talks blew up when affected farmers found out, as they should have. The explosion (but not the debate) would have been avoided had the discussions been in public. Nothing new there.

Now there's a way county residents can push for openness in local government. The Washington Coalition for Open Government (www.washingtoncog.org) has put out a call for interested citizens in each county to form their own local Coalition chapter. The chapter would become a clearinghouse of information about openness in local government, regardless of the specific issue. This is not about specific issues but about integrity of the process.

The Coalition has been around since 2001. A predecessor got the initiative approved that created the state Public Disclosure Act in 1972. The Coalition is a true alliance of groups representing business, labor, libraries, the press, some state and local governments, access lawyers, activists and community groups. These entities disagree on much but are united in the belief that government should be open. I was one of the founding board members and am a past president. Frank Garred, my predecessor as publisher of The Leader, and retired librarian Patience Rogge are two other Jefferson County residents active in the Coalition.

Interested in forming a local Coalition? Send a letter or e-mail to me and I will convene a first meeting of those interested. Mail: 226 Adams St., Port Townsend, WA 98368. E-mail: swilson@ptleader.com.

— Scott Wilson