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Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Our View: It's time for Merced County to let sunshine in

With new CEO coming, now may be opportunity to lift Tatum's iron curtain of secrecy.

Now that the county has announced Larry Combs as its new executive officer, we'd like to make a modest proposal.

Open up.

As The Fifth Dimension used to sing, "Let the sunshine in ..."

Under the Dee Tatum regime, Mercedians were faced with a "need-to-know" approach more prevalent in a military mindset than in a freely elected government.

What if you had to rely on one cable company for what you watch on TV? One cell phone company to talk to people? One radio station to listen to in your car?

You don't. You have choices in our information-driven society.

But when it comes to information from and about Merced County, we all have to rely on a single source of information. One spigot to turn on, or in most cases, cut off, the free flow of information you -- as voters, citizens and taxpayers -- and we -- the main news outlet in the county -- can get from Merced County.

That source is the county spokeswoman, Katie Albertson.

By all accounts, Albertson is a decent person. By all accounts, she didn't write the county's "media policy," which preceded her. By all accounts, she tells the truth -- just not all of it fast enough.

In theory, the county's media policy -- which prohibits almost all county employees from speaking to reporters -- is supposed to ensure that only accurate information is released to the public and press.

In practice, the policy and Albertson's role are obstacles to the release of that information.

Swine flu? She wouldn't disclose relevant information about deaths here -- information that Stanislaus County and other jurisdictions did release.

The search for that new executive officer? An office whose current tenant makes nearly a quarter-million dollars a year? As the process unfolded, she wouldn't disclose answers to such basic questions as how many candidates are in the running or whether any of them already work for the county.

To be fair, her predecessor had her as a deputy. She doesn't have one, so she has to do the job by herself.

That's no excuse, let alone justification, for the tight grip she holds in her role in regulating -- controlling -- what the free press is constitutionally entitled to know and to pass along to you, our readers.

And what about the other part of her title, government relations? Each supervisor is paid $90,000 a year. Some of them even employ their own staffs. Shouldn't they and the supervisors themselves be pounding on the doors in Sacramento and Washington for answers and accountability?

When one of our reporters was diligently trying to get a full and accurate picture of the process of picking a new CEO a few weeks back, Albertson was tied up in meetings most of the day. Sorry. We have deadlines. When she's the only person at the county who can disseminate information, she needs to be available.

If she does let another taxpayer-funded county official be interviewed, she sits in on the conversation or listens on speaker phone. Every county employee except Albertson and Tatum needs "permission" to talk to the press. That changes the dynamic. They're being watched and overheard.

If you can't trust county department heads enough to let them talk, unfettered, to the press about their specialties, does this mean they're not qualified to hold their positions?

County employees have been warned not to talk to the press without the spokeswoman present. People have been disciplined for coloring outside those lines.

So here's our offer: any senior county employee whose record and reputation we know are reliable -- feel free to contact the Sun-Star. We'll let you provide your information without attribution. We'd rather have your name attached, as is our long-standing policy with sources. But we're willing to relax that rule for the public interest, in the public good.

We request a new policy under the incoming new CEO Combs. At the very least, let county department heads speak to our reporters without permission or baby-sitting.

Secrecy is not a policy. Retribution for candor is not fair. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. Our audience deserves and demands accurate and complete information about issues that affect their lives -- information obtained in a timely way.

Our operators are standing by:

Corinne Reilly (209) 385-2477 or creilly@mercedsunstar.com.

Mike Tharp (209) 385-2456 or mtharp@mercedsunstar.com.

We hope to hear from you soon.