The past week was a decent week for transparency in Mississippi, at least compared to most weeks in these parts. For one thing, the city of Jackson launched its 311 service so that residents can both log inquiries and requests and track the progress of the response.
That’s a huge step in a state capital where many workers have long taken it personally when a reporter or citizen tries to look at public information. Over the years, we’ve been told off, more than once by one or another irate city or state public servant for requesting information they don’t think we should report on, not to mention for daring to take a critical view on the information once we got it.
Or, someone nastily asks, “So why do you want it?” (Uh, because I and other taxpayers own it?)
This small-town approach to public information (and criticism) is quaint at best, illegal at worst. That is, individual people who try to block or discourage the access of any public information, including the posting of public meetings of any sort, should go to jail as far as we’re concerned. (It is a crime that has far more victims than, say, most minor drug crimes.)
Every citizen is a victim anytime a public employee tries to block access to information or to a public meeting. Thus, we’re happy that Gov. Barbour signed a law last week making this a more personal crime, even if it still does not go far enough. Starting in July, Mississippi will hold government employees personally liable for meetings that should be open to the public under state law. The state Ethics Commission can fine individual violators up to $1,000 per violation, plus expenses.
As for open records, the law seems to be weaker now. Before, it had said that individual violators “shall” be fined for violations; now it says they “may” be fined individually.
Of course, the problem here is that the fox is barring the henhouse door. That is, a governmental body is doing a dance about transparency rather than going full bore to ensure that the public can see inside our government and their offices at any time and on request.
We need every single public servant to wake up and understand who they work for: the taxpayer. When we want our information, we should get it. It shouldn’t take a week, or two weeks, and it shouldn’t come with a lecture. Such transparency must be the price a government employee or elected official pays to get that government paycheck and the privilege of serving on the public’s behalf.
