The greatest threat to this country, our democracy and the life of freedom we cherish isn’t the Democrats, the Republicans, or their extreme partisan battles over any and every issue. The greatest threat is the apathy of the American people.
We see it in low voter turnouts in every election, the growing number of Americans oblivious to who their elected leaders are, and the increasing power it is handing to those in office.
With a relative few paying attention to government action, it opens the door for politicians to shut out even more people from what they’re doing. Nothing good comes from government working behind closed doors, but those efforts seem to grow every year.
Joel McNeece
The long list of bills presented this year in the state legislature attempting to shut the public out of the public’s business is alarming, particularly when some state leaders are claiming “government transparency” as priorities on thier campaign agenda.
The most concerning of the new legislation were two bills proposed by Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, a Republican from Winona, that would weaken the Open Meetings Act. Both bills, SB 2489 and SB 2352, would redefine a “meeting,” making it easier for government bodies to conduct business in private.
Essentially, Chassaniol’s proposal would allow boards to hold a series of meetings without a full quorum present at any time so they could debate important matters without the public or press being able to attend.
I’ve known Sen. Chassaniol for many years and immediately contacted her upon seeing her proposals questioning the need for such bills and their potential danger to the public’s right to know. She claimed early on her intention was never to “assist a public body in hiding anything,” but only to initiate discussion.
It has since been surmised that the bills were in response to recent Ethics Commission rulings against the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors and a city council for conducting business out of view of the public in these smaller styled meetings.
I’m pleased to say I have a good relationship with all the municipal boards and supervisors in Calhoun County and haven’t had many issues with them conducting public business inappropriately. Abuse of the executive session privilege is the bigger problem here. That doesn’t mean, however, the public can afford to turn a blind eye toward the manner in which its government, whether local, state or national, conducts business.
I am somewhat confident none of these dangerous legislative bills will escape their respective committees this year and advance the threat of shutting out the public, but the fact nearly a dozen proposals impacting quorums, executive sessions, and the Open Meetings Act, could be produced during an election year shows how emboldened politicians have become.
It is imperative that the public be engaged and vigilant in demanding open government from our leaders and holding them accountable.
“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Email Joel McNeece at joelmcneece@gmail.com & follow him on Twitter @joelmcneece