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| 5/14/2009 10:25:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Transparency? Big
yes for city leaders
Jack Miles
Editor
Rep. Denny Hoskins should have shouted "no" at Sen. Delbert Scott and the ill-conceived bill to reduce public information about elected officials; instead, Hoskins erred on the side of government secrecy by agreeing to handle Scott's bill in the House.
The bill would hide information from the public about elected officials in 61 cities, including Knob Noster. Public officials now fill out a form naming their potential conflicts of interest. Voters should know if a real estate dealer on a city council might have land of interest to the city, whether a banker is involved with city deposits, whether a developer might seek friendlier zoning laws and so forth. A simple form helps do this, but Hoskins and Scott want to end disclosures in some cities under the premise that the forms are a bother and might discourage people from public service.
The premise is hogwash.
Bucking the fear about losing public servants, Knob Noster Mayor Stan Hall said he is not bothered by filling out such forms. Because Hall - the only mayor of a Johnson County city affected by the secrecy measure - has no problem with filling out the form, neither should Hoskins.
The public also has no problem with asking public officials to fill out the forms. To this point, more than 90 percent of people responding in a week-long, online, Daily Star-Journal poll agreed that disclosures should continue. The poll is not scientific, but the percentages for continuing disclosure are so overwhelmingly lopsided - the most lopsided vote recorded this year for the poll - that the results should not be ignored.
Making friends in Jefferson City by helping out fellow lawmakers with legislation is a good idea for Hoskins and all other freshman representatives, but not when doing so ignores the wishes of voters back home.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, May 14, 2009
Article comment by:
Gary Grigsby
Jack,
Good points! If Stan Hall is not bothered by these forms, then who? Rep. Hoskins needs to return the first part of his formal address, "Representative!" Whose views are being presented?
There are substantive issues which need to be addressed and considered before the close of this session. Why bother with this non-issue??
Gary Grigsby
Warrensburg
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