Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
 |
 |
| There's an old idea in Washington politics that a "Cascade Curtain" divides east from west. This blog tackles the political issues that matter to Eastern Washingtonians, from Congress on down to your local irrigation district. Join the conversation by commenting or e-mailing Herald political reporter Michelle Dupler at mdupler@tricityherald.com |
Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeTuesday, Aug. 11, 2009
Most legislative candidates silent on open government
By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer
Whoever is elected state representative in the 16th and 9th District races this year will inevitably be called upon to vote on issues relating to public records and open government. Bills surface every year seeking either to expand or narrow the state’s records and public meetings laws.
The Washington Coalition for Open Government sends a questionnaire to candidates for public office each year to gauge where they stand on issues such as recording closed meetings known as executive sessions, making public some communications between government attorneys and their clients, and requiring training on public records and open meetings for government officials and employees.
The coalition recently published this year’s batch of answers on its website.
Perhaps more noteworthy than the responses is who chose not to answer. Of the nine candidates in the 16th and 9th District races, only 16th District candidates Kevin Young, a Walla Walla Republican, and David Roberts, a self-styled Reagan Independent also from Walla Walla, chose to answer.
In the 16th District, incumbent Rep. Laura Grant, D-Walla Walla, and Republican challenger Terry Nealey, a Dayton lawyer, both are absent from the list. No candidates from the 9th District answered the questionnaire.
Of the two who responded, Young appears to be more favorable to open government. He answered "yes" to every question, saying he'd support recording executive sessions, opening some communications between government attorneys and their clients, creating an independent open government ombudsman in the state as long as that didn't require new taxes, requiring public records and open government training and archiving electronic records, and stopping agencies from abusing third-party injunctions to block public records requests.
"I think there should be no secrets," Young wrote.
Roberts would support recording executive sessions and opening some attorney-client communications, but opposes creating an independent open government ombudsman because he thinks that would grow government.
Roberts also said no to requiring public records and meeting training, archiving electronic records, and stopping agencies from abusing third-party injunctions.
Full copies of both responses can be read here.
Click here to subscribe to an RSS feed of East of the Curtain.
@Nyx.CommentBody@