NEED FOR TRANSPARENCY: Government at all levels must never lose sight of public

Perhaps it's a sign of what's happening nationally, or the troubled world we live in, but I'm becoming more concerned about what appears to be a growing shroud of secrecy at all levels of government.

For some reason, more and more government officials seem to think the information they oversee isn't intended for public

consumption.

I beg to differ. Except in rare circumstances, the public's business is exactly what the words imply.

This is Sunshine Week, the time that news organizations throughout the country have set aside to remind citizens that they have a right to know what government is doing.

Want to know what the school superintendent, city manager or college president is earning? Or what their expenses have been? Walk in and ask. That information should be yours for the asking.

A year ago The Observer was part of a statewide effort to ascertain public entities' knowledge of Oregon's Public Records Law. Local government entities in Union County performed reasonably well. The city, the school district and sheriff's office all eventually provided the information, but getting it was a bit nerve-wracking for our volunteer auditors.

What we've learned since then demonstrates that all government entities don't have the same understanding of the law. Some have lost sight of whose business they are minding.

Want to know about the budget at Eastern Oregon University? How much is being spent on administration now versus a year ago? Or the status of spending versus what is

budgeted?

Good luck. They'll talk about the situation, but cold, hard numbers are difficult to come by.

Ask the Oregon University System the same questions. It's just a matter of making some budget adjustments, they'll say. Why, then, did a member of the Board of Higher Education recently suggest that selling one of the seven state universities could help save the other six?

Or try to find out about the Oregon Economic and Development Department's pending agreement with Union County on the Buffalo Peak Golf Course. Could county taxpayers be left holding the bag?

Again, good luck.

We have not filed public records requests on these issues. We may have to. Thank goodness Oregon's Public Records Law exists so that we can do that, and that the federal Freedom of Information Act exists so that we can do the same with federal agencies.

But we shouldn't have to.

Government must be transparent at all levels — not only to media, but to anyone who walks in and asks.

If EOU's budget, or even that of the Oregon University System as a whole, is in trouble, the public has a right to see the numbers. If it's not, provide the information to prove it.

If OECDD is striking a deal with Union County on repayment of the county's golf course debt, the public has a right to know.

It's that simple. There's no excuse for secrecy when it comes to public funds.

As former Gov. Vic Atiyeh told The Associated Press during last year's public records audit, "My personal feeling is that, if somebody walked into an agency and wanted some information, it's their government — it's not ‘our' government. They're entitled to get the information, and that's the way it should be.''

The growing dissatisfaction with and distrust of government will end only when government is as transparent as it was intended to be. Anything less is a disservice to taxpayers.

The public has a right to know what government is doing. Public officials must never lose sight of who they work for.

Ted Kramer is editor of The Observer. Reach him by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it