Sunshine feels good
National Sunshine Week is a chance to remind ourselves that as Americans we have freedom of access and that we should never let anything diminish this right – not terrorism, nor apathy, embarrassment or intimidation.
Almost serendipitously, several occurrences this week remind us that our government doesn’t always remember that we, Joe and Joan Q. Public, want access to what happens within our town halls and schools.
Jeff Vermette, longtime School Board member and devoted Windham schools proponent, said in a joint Town Council/School Board meeting on Tuesday that he doesn’t want the public to vote on the school or town budgets. Leave it to the Town Council and School Board, he says.
This comment springs from his belief that Windham’s annual town meeting is sparsely attended and doesn’t promote a true picture of what the citizens want. That’s understandable and it’s true that not enough people attend town meetings. But this comment also reveals that some in government forget that, in our democratic form of government, the people should always have the last say. And voting politicians out of office, after they’ve made a bad decision, is not a solution. By then, it may be too late.
Vermette is surely not alone in thinking the public shouldn’t be trusted with oversight in matters having to do with the future of our school children. But, when it comes right down to it, open government where voters have influence is what strengthens a democracy.
If leaders don’t trust the voters, increase access. Expand line items in the school and town budgets. Tell the public exactly where its money is going and why. Answer any and all questions clearly. Open deliberations lead to an educated public that has the ability to make informed decisions at annual town meeting.
Another funny thing happened on the way to Sunshine Week. Last Friday, while performing our weekly inspection of Superior Court records, we were told by court clerks that from now on, we’d have to pay a dollar per page for court documents. Sure, we can still view them for free, as any member of the public can, but we’d have to pay to take it with us. Previously, we were using digital cameras to take pictures of each page to avoid having to pay the fee. It seems the court looks down on this practice and now wants us to pay for these public records, which some weeks can total $100 or more, depending on the length of the log.
Sure, it’s reasonable for the court to charge for copies. Toner, manpower and paper costs real money. But, in terms of manpower and resources, it costs nothing for us to snap digital pictures. The result is the same. It’s apparent that the court realizes this is a revenue stream and doesn’t want people ducking the fee. So they make a new rule, which further erodes public access. More and more, it appears one requires a wad of cash to take part in this democracy. (And just look at the lobbyists in Augusta and Washington. Too often it seems, only those with big bucks are welcome at the table of American democracy.)
While these two examples conveniently happened this Sunshine Week, it’s not unprecedented that attitudes of government leaders show an air of superiority in which “they know what’s best” for the rest of us. Just look at President Bush and his “trust me” attitude. We may trust an individual elected representative, but we should never delude ourselves into trusting the institution of government.
And though the statement is clichA?© now, Abraham Lincoln’s magnificent comment that government is of the people, by the people and for the people is something that, more than ever, we should cling to.
John Balentine, editor
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