The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com
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Tussle over transparency Public Records requests: avenue for abuse or insight?
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By Jerry Cornfield, Everett Herald
hose looking for a more transparent government are increasingly relying on public records to make it happen. They hope the more documents they obtain the clearer their view of what’s really going on behind closed doors in school districts, city halls and county buildings. But there are those Jerry Cornfield throughout the public sector convinced some of these Washingtonians are abusing the Public Records Act. An alliance of government forces — whose members often are the targets of the records — tried unsuccessfully earlier this year to rewrite the act to make it easier to repel requesters whose motives they question. With the help of Republican and Democratic lawmakers, they pushed a bill to make it easier for public agencies to block requests and to limit the time spent compiling records. Though the bill died in the legislative process, the matter reappeared in the state budget in the form of a provision to spend $25,000 contemplating ways to help governments deal with records requests they consider harassing. Lawmakers tapped the Ruckelshaus Center, a joint venture of the University of Washington and Washington State University, to facilitate a conversation between those in the alliance and those who viewed the failed bill as an unprecedented attack on citizens’ right to petition their government. By Dec. 15, the center is supposed to put forth recommendations. The effort is just getting off the ground and folks at the center are tamping down expectations what will emerge. Michael Kern, the center director, said this week the time frame is too tight to pull the parties together for fruitful face-to-face sessions
presuming everybody on all sides is interested in doing so. The game plan is to speak with 20 to 30 people who’ve been visible and vocal in the legislative conflict then prepare an assessment of the situation based on what center staff hears in the interviews. “We’ll report what the diverse interests say,” he said. “It will not include our opinions because we don’t have opinions. We are a neutral third party.” That’s not quite what Democratic Rep. Dean Takko of Longview envisioned when he helped persuade leaders of his party to put the proviso in the budget. Takko, who sponsored the failed bill, hoped the skilled forces at the center could blaze a trail lawmakers could not. “Myself and quite a number of other people think there’s something we need to address,” said Takko, a former Cowlitz County assessor and Cathlamet City Council member. “I don’t think anybody wants to hide public records. What we’re trying to do is stop frivolous requests.” Now, he’ll take whatever they provide this winter as a possible starting point for legislation in 2014. “In all honesty, we probably will not be a whole lot further than when the session ended,” he said. “It’s a big enough issue that we have to take some baby steps forward.” Another person interested in talking with Kern’s team is Jason Mercier, an analyst with the Washington Policy Center and member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government. The coalition strongly opposed Takko’s bill. He sees no reason to change the Public Records Act. The problem isn’t the law, he said, but officials’ understanding of it. Many do not realize what tools are already available to them when someone submits one of those so-called burdensome requests. He suggested lawmakers asked the wrong question with the budget proviso. Leaders in local governments say hefty requests can chew up staff time and taxpayer dollars but there’s no data on how much time and money is wasted to back up their claims, he said. Getting the answer would really inform the discussion, he said. Sounds like something a public records request, or two, could clear up.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 — 5
Political reporter Jerry Cornfield’s blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. Contact him at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com. — Editor’s note: Coverage of the state
capitol by Cornfield is provided courtesy of the Everett Herald, a Sound Publishing sister paper of the Journal.
Le to COMMUNITY se
NOTICES Thanks to Rotary, more than 2 billion children have been immunized against polio. Soon the world will be polio-free. Learn more at rotary.org.
TONIGHT
INTRO TO DECORATIVE, FAUX PAINTING
LEE DANIEL’S THE BUTLER As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man’s life, family, and American society.
Stars: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack
WE’RE THE MILLERS A veteran pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.
Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts ★ Also Showing: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters ★
The
Palace Theatre
24-HOUR MOVIE LINE: 370-5666 FIRST RUN MOVIES • ART FILMS • DOLBY SOUND TWO SCREENS • HEALTHIER POPCORN STATE-OF-THE-ART PROJECTION INFRARED SOUND FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED THE ANDREW V. McLAGLEN CAREER EXHIBIT
A slideshow presentation by Ina Drosu features the application of traditional decorative, faux painting in today’s inteior design, followed by Q &A. FREE! Info, 378-2798.
SJ PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 PM, WED, AUG 28
THURSDAY
FRIDAY HARBOR ART MARKET SEASON FINALE
Artists, food vendors, live music and more; Fridays through the end of August. Musical lineup for finale features Teddy Deane, followed by The Rocky Bay Boys. Info, 378-0951.
BRICKWORKS PLAZA 3-7 PM, THURS, AUG 29
SATURDAY
2ND ANNUAL SAN JUAN MUSIC FESTIVAL
All day event features jazz, blues, rock, folk, big band music by local artists. Sponsored by SJ Lions Club, proceeds benefit Lions vision and hearing projects. $10 adults, kids 12 and under, free. Info, Tom Starr, 360-2981281, tom@rockisland.com.
Classical & Gershwin!
FORMER BROWNE’S LUMBER YARD 330 SPRING ST. 11 AM, SAT, AUG 31
Cellist Sasha von Dassow presents:
Your
Summer Serenade
Saturday, August 31 8 pm • San Juan Community Theatre
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