This week is Sunshine Law Week in Ohio.
“Obviously in our democracy one of the fundamental tenants is open government,” said Marysville Law Director Tim Aslaner. “People should be able to see as much of their government and how it works as possible and to participate as much as possible and that means open meetings and access to public records.”
Sunshine Week, initiated in 2005, “reinforces the principles of government openness that have been cherished since the time of our Founding Fathers,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said.
Local officials say they take those principals to heart.
Marysville City Council President Donald Boerger said that “in today’s world of social media and sound bites, more than ever government and our local officials from all levels of the government are under more and more scrutiny.”
“This is why it’s important for government to be as transparent and open with our constituents to showcase our due diligence in policy making,” he said.
Union County Treasurer Andy Smarra said transparency is also about availability. He said it is about being “honest and as complete as you can be with people.”
“We are public servants, therefore everything we do should be in furtherance of that,” Smarra said.
Aslaner said he and city officials “take the requirement to be transparent in how we govern very, very seriously.”
“I think if government officials and offices are doing what they are supposed to be doing, they will try to keep everything as open as possible in accordance with the law,” said Aslaner.
Fairbanks Superintendent Adham Schirg said that for schools, “transparency is critical to instill trust and credibility across our community, not to mention the legal obligations under Ohio’s Sunshine Laws.”
He said by letting residents know what is happening in the district, officials are better able to know how to serve the community.
“Our school district values the input our community provides and focusing on transparency allows for us to improve in our service to students, staff and our residents,” Schirg said.
Richwood Mayor Scott Jerew said there are practical reasons for the public to be informed.
“We want people to know why it cost so much for certain items, roads, water, wastewater,” Jerew said. “The cost has gone up so much on just about everything. People need to understand that and see why we have to do what we do.”
Smarra said that “being responsive to the public and providing the information people need so they can make timely, informed decisions is probably the best thing we can do for people.”
Marysville City Council Member Henk Berbee said that as an elected official it is important to keep citizens informed. He said the state’s Sunshine Laws are “very valuable to avoid underhanded decision making.”
“It is important to have public dialogue and debate while it is equally important for news media to inform the public of those discussions, and to invite the public to share their opinions,” Berbee said.
Union County Commissioner Dave Burke said, “when you don’t have a media presence, you have a very, very weak system of accountability to the public because the only people telling you what’s happening have a vested interest.”
Schirg said it is the relationship between media and government that “allows for residents to be informed about critical issues to their communities.”
Burke said he could not agree more.
“The media plays a critical role in that,” Burke said.
He said that voters select officials to represent their best interests, because they do not have the time or ability to be at every meeting and make every decision. He said the same voters count on the media to hold those elected officials accountable for the same reason.
“I think the media is there to represent the interest of our constituents and to let them know what their elected officials are doing when they can’t be at a meeting, for whatever reason,” Burke said.
He said that whether it is a village office or the U.S. Capitol, “if the media isn’t there, weird things will happen.”
Burke said he doesn’t always agree with the Marysville Journal-Tribune. He said the local newspaper can ask “uncomfortable” questions and its presence at a meeting can be inconvenient, “but I am always thankful they are here because a good system of government requires oversight and in our community, that is the newspaper.”
Boerger added that it is journalists that protect transparency.
“The role of journalism in America is more important today than it has been in the last 30 years,” Boerger said. “True journalism is the backbone of America’s democracy and we should always ensure we are asking the right questions, but reading and studying the facts will benefit all of us.”
Jerew said that as far as transparency goes, “we all need to be better at it.”
Sunshine Week runs from March 10 until March 16, James Madison’s birthday, which is also known as “Freedom of Information Day.”