A delegation of Douglas County officials traveled to Loudoun
County, Va., last month where it became entangled in a dispute
about open meetings.
The local delegation went to the second-fastest-growing county
in the nation to discuss growth and land-use issues. When a
reporter and a number of leaders from citizens’ groups tried to
attend the meeting, they were escorted from the building by the
Loudoun County administrator and two security guards, a local
newspaper reported. That was after the Douglas County delegation
allegedly was brought into the building through a back
door.
The Loudoun County administrator reportedly told the Loudoun
County Easterner reporter and two group leaders that the meeting
had been closed at the request of Douglas County officials. He
later backed off that statement, and our own county administrator,
Doug DeBord, also denied that he or anyone in the delegation asked
for the meeting to be closed.
The reporter for the Easterner told the News-Press that these
meetings are fairly common, and that, in the past, Loudoun County
officials have announced the arrival of visiting delegations and
conducted such meetings in public.
We’re not going to cast blame, but we think the incident is a
perfect example of why the News-Press, newspapers across the state
and the Colorado Press Association have joined this week in
“Operation Sunshine – We Support Open Government in Colorado.”
Coinciding with the Sept. 17, 1787, anniversary of the adoption of
the U.S. Constitution, the campaign is designed to remind both the
public and public officials of the importance of open
government.
Residents and politicians often react with antipathy to the
press when it seeks access to various records or meetings,
especially when they are of a sensitive nature. The press is
labeled as sensationalist, seeking the documents only to sell
newspapers.
It’s quite the contrary. It is our role to ensure that those who
run our government and enforce our laws – yes, they work for you
and me – do so with the people’s best interests in mind.
In most cases, on most days, they do. But there are the
occasional cases when they don’t. The only way we can find out
about those cases – and correct the problems they create – is if
governments operate in the sunshine and allow their records to see
the same light of day.
It’s just a reminder that democracy grows only in the light.