Sunshine Week... or "Secrecy Creep"

Locals and newcomers alike may disagree about how much drizzle and gray skies they want in the Pacific Northwest, but when it comes how our government works, I think the great majority of us would agree that limited cloud cover is best. This is what government transparency advocates call Sunshine Week. And, unfortunately, it has been pretty cloudy on that front across the nation, in our statewide, local agencies and special districts.

The state’s Public Records Act (PRA) was originally passed as a ballot initiative by voters in 1972 because people believed that we had a right to know how the decisions were made by their elected representative and our public servants. Despite multiple changes to the legislation increasing the number of exemptions to that law, people still believe in its value. They passed it by more than 70% in 1972 and more recently, 80 percent said they still support it in poll results released in January 2024 by the news site Cascade Public Media and pollster Elway Research.

But today, state lawmakers are frequently claiming a “legislative privilege” to black out information on records requested by the public (or to withhold entire documents).

In December 2024, the Legislative Ethics Board heard a complaint that a state legislator not only didn’t provide public records that involved his personal phone, but that he knew he had official texts on it and lied about it, and that he destroyed the phone after the request for the records was made. Despite all the evidence, the complaint was still dismissed by the Board as an unintentional act.

An increase in claims of “legislative privilege” appears to have given the impression to a growing number of state legislators that they do not have to comply with the PRA. And various forms of technology used for communication, and its destruction, have only increased the challenges of gaining access to records from all levels of government.

Journalists who cover these agencies do the work of “discovery,” identifying who knew what when, who talked to whom, and what actions were taken as a result. And they report on this in their respective outlets to the benefit of the people, providing a level of transparency.

You’re lucky to have The Star! Communities with low functioning or non existent community newspapers have lower bond ratings, more government corruption and more government waste. Without public oversight, public officials tend to be less careful with the public dollar.

While your local journalists are doing the work of holding your elected and appointed officials accountable, you, as a citizen of this region, do your part by staying informed.

It’s on all of us to demand Sunshine, not Secrecy.