The Real Challenge
Sep 14th, 2007 by JamieB
I had to smile at the at the response of Doug Hill of the Pennsylvania Local Government Conference . . . not because the issues are unimportant . . . but because, while I am happy to think of this as a popular blog, somehow the image of thousands of people rushing off to ask one of their local agencies for a public record seems a bit over the top. And although I think that a subscription to a local newspaper is a great prize, it is hardly competitive with the state lottery or even the old publishers’ sweepstakes. With over 5,000 agencies across the state to choose from, this contest hardly seems an onerous – let alone frivolous – undertaking.
Moreover, what these people will be requesting is information that ought to be readily available and should be provided without an undue burden on anyone. I think the Commonwealth and its local agencies will survive. In fact, I think we will be the better for this effort.
This isn’t the first time that such a challenge has been issued. As reported in the Washington Observer-Reporter, “Several years ago, a coalition of Pennsylvania newspapers . . . took part in an experiment to see how difficult it would be to obtain public records from local governments.
“The unhappy results were then publicized, including a clerk who refused to show the animal control ordinance and a local police chief who had a reporter’s license plate number traced for asking to see a police blotter.”
That kind of response and intimidation will go a long way to keep the numbers down. It certainly has in the past.
Indeed, if things are so good out there, it seems fair to ask why the leaders of both parties in the state legislature have made open records a top priority for the fall session and the cornerstone of reform. “I’ve been knocked off the donkey,” House Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese, hardly a supporter of these efforts in the past, said last spring. “I’ve seen the light.”
We are about to find out how serious he and the other legislators are in pursuing real reform on this issue.
Finally, this blog is open to everyone. We have consistently reported on efforts to improve the public’s access to its own records, and we want this forum to be a real discussion of real issues . . . particularly now as we get into the nitty gritty of what the legislation will look like. That’s the real challenge.
So join in. Let us know what you think.