Editorial: Don't let government hide in the shadows

Government should never happen in the dark.

We elect our leaders to represent our best interests, to craft laws that protect our communities and to spend our money wisely. All of that has to happen in the sunshine of the public eye for it to be trustworthy.

And yet, too often, government wants to find a shady corner. It wants to put on sunglasses and a floppy hat and find a way to avoid the light. That has to be challenged at every opportunity.

The most recent is a bill proposed by state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, which offers “flexibility” to government when it comes to communicating with the public.

Local governments like municipalities, counties and school district must take certain steps to inform the public of actions.

Having a meeting? Asking for bids? Adopting a resolution? All of these fall under a requirement to advertise. The Newspaper Advertising Act says these acts must be declared in a newspaper “of general circulation.”

Why? Because the people need to know. The public needs to know about a public meeting. The public needs to know the details of bids. The public definitely needs to know how the new law being passed will affect them.

But Senate Bill 194 would remove the requirement for measures like these to be advertised in printed newspapers. Instead, newspapers would be just one option.

Others include a physical copy at the government office. Note: that is at the office, not outside or in any publicly visible way. In theory, a Post-it with the information could be on the secretary’s desk, there for anyone who asks for it. It would meet the requirements of the law but not the requirements of the people.

The bill would also permit the government agency to publish the information to its own website.

The problem with these options is they allow the government fox to stay in charge of the informational hen house.

Right now, these same government offices are required to comply with the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. This law governs open meetings, how and when they must occur and the rare exceptions. It is regularly violated both willfully and accidentally.

Could the Newspaper Advertising Act be updated to better reflect modern media and the way people consume it? Certainly. House Bill 1291 does so by taking into consideration digital newspaper publication and outlines requirements like regular updates and archivable formats.

But Senate Bill 194 is not about the needs of the people and the interest of transparency. It is about information as power — and keeping that power in the hands of the government rather than in front of the people.

Pennsylvania newspapers have always been at the forefront of disseminating information to the people. Look no further than July 6, 1776, for an example.

That was the day the Pennsylvania Evening Post printed the Declaration of Independence. If it was good enough for the Continental Congress, it should remain the gold standard for Pennsylvania’s local government.