From the Twin Falls Times-News
The IDOG open government seminar in Twin Falls on Tuesday evening included interactive skits like this one, in which members of the audience portrayed reporters, citizens, or local government officials correctly – or incorrectly – following the Open Meeting Law or Public Records Law.
By Joe Cadotte jcadotte@magicvalley.com
TWIN FALLS • One of the most common arguments between reporters and public officials is what information the public can see. Turns out, reporters and public officials are both wrong half the time about the laws, said Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden.
Reporters, citizens and public officials from throughout south-central Idaho gathered Tuesday night to iron out some of those wrinkles.
“If I was playing the National League, batting 500 would be a great big deal. But in open meeting, public record issues, its dismal,” Wasden said. “So if we can walk out of here tonight improving our batting average on issues of open records and public meetings, then we will have succeeded.”
Two skits early in the event portrayed a reporter getting his facts wrong about a city council executive session.
Twin Falls spokesman Joshua Palmer played Crusty the reporter, and Times-News reporter Brian Smith played Trusty the city clerk.
“They still in there talking about Lyle’s lawsuit?” Crusty asked.
“Yeah, the city council is having a meeting, and no, you can’t go in there,” Trusty said.
“I don’t know about these closed meetings, Trusty. It seems a little illegal,” Crusty said.
“C’mon Crusty, you know as well as I do that open meeting laws allows executive sessions with the city attorney with impending litigation, and it says right on the agenda that they’re talking about Lyle’s lawsuit,” Trusty said.
In the second skit, a group of city council members made budget decisions in a restaurant while a reporter secretly listened.
Smith, KMVT Anchor Aimee Burnett and Twin Falls Councilwoman Suzanne Hawkins played the council members.
“We’ll pave County Line Road to Maple before the first frost. You two OK with that?” Smith asked.
“I can go along with that if we take it another half mile past Maple,” Hawkins said. “That way, we’ll get some nice new pavement in front of my brother-in-law’s house.”.
“I think we need to stop at Maple,” Smith said.
“C’mon Craig, work with me on this. I think I can help with the zoning problem with the nuclear power plant by the wildlife sanctuary. No one needs to know it’s your dad behind this,” Hawkins said.
“What I’m interested in, though, is what we’re going to do about the county prosecutor,” Burnett said. “I think he’s getting a little big for his britches. I think he’d get a little smarter if we cut $50,000 out of his budget.”
After the scene, Wasden explained to the crowd of about 75 that’s it’s not illegal for city council members to hang out with each other outside of work. But it is illegal for a governing body to conduct its business outside of a public meeting.
Events such as the public records forum in Twin Falls help the media and government work together to better inform the public.
“The open meeting law and the public records act are really important to us as citizens, because it’s what opens the doors and allows you and I to observe what government does and to obtain information from our government,” Wasden said. “That is critical to a democracy. It’s critical to our republican form of government. It’s really important that we know and understand what our government is doing. That’s why those laws are important.”
The forum is part of an effort between the attorney general and the group Idahoans for Openness in Government to raise awareness about public record laws. The Times-News sponsored the event.
From the Twin Falls Times-News
