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try to keep
business open
In a story in Thursday’s The News Reporter about the county commissioners and the Open Meetings Law, Commissioner James Prevatte said the paper’s coverage was one-sided and implied that the paper should take a closer look at the county’s school systems.
Our experience with the school boards in terms of open meetings and public records has been good, and it starts at the top. The superintendents of both systems, Dan Strickland and Danny McPherson, are accessible and forthcoming. In fact, they go out of their ways to make sure we are informed.
For example, not in recent memory have we had to call either school board attorney to get access to information or public records. If we want to see a copy of the budget, we can stroll right in and get it. Phone calls are returned.
Both school systems are predisposed to openness. That’s not to say that the school boards don’t have closed sessions. They do, but it’s our belief that they stay on track when talking about sensitive parent/student and personnel issues.
Instead of being preoccupied with finding ways to close meetings, making it hard to get public records and not returning phone calls, school board members and administrators are forthcoming.
There’s an entirely different atmosphere with county government. Not that county government was especially open prior to the arrival of County Manager Jim Varner, but openness has clearly taken a turn for the worse under his watch.
The commissioners are Varner’s bosses. They would do well to notice the attitudes of Strickland and McPherson when it comes to openness.