Thank you, Paul Gottlieb, for looking into whether Clallam County complied with the Washington Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) in narrowing the field of applicants for county administrator.
It’s not just the cost of fines and legal fees if the county violates the law; the point is to make sure elected officials don’t make decisions unless the public can observe.
David Alvarez, the county’s chief deputy civil prosecutor, said he “doesn’t believe” an informal OPMA guidebook from the state attorney general is “necessarily correct” in saying that making decisions in executive session is “not permitted.”
Really? “[The commissioners] could do it in public and fix it all,” he said.
Um, shouldn’t the county try to get it right the first time?
It would be refreshing to hear a public servant say something affirmative about looking after the public’s interest.
For example, “The county is committed to following all laws, and part of my job is to ensure we follow OPMA, including its prohibition on decisions in executive sessions.”
Ain’t gonna happen.
That’s why OPMA should be amended to require audio recordings of all executive sessions.
Then, if an agency is sued over OPMA allegations, a judge can hear the recording privately and determine if there was a violation.
Five bucks says most elected officials oppose this safeguard, and that’s one of the best reasons for making it happen.
Barney Burke,
Port Townsend