Public has a right to know how money is spent, decisions made

George Bean probably didn’t have an inkling that he would be wading into a battle over open government when he arrived in Tacoma in May 1953. He certainly couldn’t have guessed that it would cost him a job.

Bean had come west from Grand Rapids, Mich., at the invitation of the newly created Tacoma City Council. The city had just come through a tumultuous election to change its form of government, and the new council members were looking for a city manager to help them wrest control from gambling and vice interests. Several thought Bean was their man.

City officials were also waging another fight, this one with the press. The council wanted to keep the city manager selection process under wraps. Reporters refused to play along. Instead, the Tacoma News Tribune gave front-page play to stories about potential candidates and the debate among council members about whether to have their discussions in public. The paper’s editorial board weighed in as well, scolding the council for setting a bad precedent by conducting business out of sight.

Into the tussle walked Bean. Reporters pressed him for his policy on closed-door meetings. Bean clearly saw no problem with them. He said reporters could even sit in, as long as they didn’t spill the beans before city officials OK’d the release of information.

It was not a ringing endorsement of government operating in the open. Reporters balked at being drafted into a conspiracy to withhold information from the public, and the council thought better of picking another fight with the press.

Bean left town empty-handed.

The confrontation is but a footnote in Tacoma’s history, a minor skirmish in the fight to keep the public’s business public. But that’s how open government is won – slowly and persistently.

Newspapers such as The News Tribune are that campaign’s foot soldiers. No other institution knocks on government doors day after day, requesting public records, attending public meetings and pushing elected officials toward the light.

Advancing the cause of open government is a value, not a business model.

Stories about newspapers prying open sealed records or exposing illegal meetings rarely cause papers to fly off the racks.

But this newspaper bird-dogs public agencies all the same because something important is at stake. Access to public records and meetings, and exposure of the private machinations of officialdom, are essential to an informed and engaged community. The News Tribune is the public’s eyes and ears; we are dedicated to providing information that will allow citizens to retain sovereignty over their government.

The News Tribune and its predecessors, The Tacoma Daily Ledger and The News, have pressed for open government throughout their histories. Some public victories have been won through lawsuits and legislation. Many more were the product of plain old dogged reporting.

As far back as 1894, The News was using the Pierce County treasurer’s register of warrants to calculate the costs of “Republican extravagance.” Meanwhile, its competitor, The Ledger, was digging up other public documents, among them a letter from the county auditor intimating that the Democratic county commission chairman was enriching himself on the public dime.

For much of our 125-year history, few laws guaranteed access to public information. Open government depended on public officials being willing to do the right thing – or on a reporter’s ability to ferret out what they wanted to keep hidden.

A good example is The News Tribune’s political reporter, Jack Pyle, whose career ran from 1947 to 1986. He was legendary for cultivating sources. The hard work paid off – for him and readers – as people inside government fed him a steady diet of tips and information the public otherwise might not have had. Many other reporters have shown a similar knack for turning the public’s right to know into reality.

The advent of state sunshine laws in the 1970s altered the dynamic, but did not end the need for a vigilant press to give the law bite and prevent its subversion by secretive officials.

In the early 1990s, the state spent more than $600,000 to settle lawsuits from legislative staff members who alleged they were fired for cooperating in an investigation into illegal campaigning.

The News Tribune requested copies of the settlements. After the state said no, the paper sued and forced the release of nearly 5,000 pages of public documents. The case helped establish a precedent that legal settlements, even by the Legislature, are subject to public scrutiny.

This newspaper also regularly works to keep records open.

Twice in just the last six months, the paper has gone to court to preempt someone from blocking access to public documents, sending the message that the paper takes its stewardship of the public’s right to know seriously.

Fortunately, the newspaper rarely has to go that far. The News Tribune’s reporters and editors make countless requests for public information each year. Most are granted without objection.

They help us explain what public officials might not otherwise share with citizens.

In 2005, after the Fife police chief abruptly resigned, The News Tribune used government documents to uncover that his sudden departure came a week after the City Council had apparently figured out that the chief was doing business with the city on the side. Just last weekend, public records allowed The News Tribune to tell Puyallup residents that their City Council spent $17,000 on a two-day retreat.

Letting citizens know what their government is up to is the press’ fundamental role.

Open government promotes official accountability, trust in government and civic participation. It also leads to better decisions, by both the electorate and its public servants.

In 1953, the Tacoma City Council sent its favorite city manager candidate packing over concerns that he was no champion of public disclosure. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Council members took a second look at another candidate – a former reform-minded Kansas City councilman named Frank Backstrom.

Backstrom proved to be just what the city needed.

He hired a tough-talking straight arrow to be Tacoma’s police chief, turned a budget deficit into a surplus and set the city on its way to overcoming a reputation for being Seattle’s dirty backyard.

It takes stamina to hold at bay the perpetual assaults on the public’s right to know.

For the last 125 years, The News Tribune and its predecessors have demonstrated that they have that kind of staying power. This newspaper understands that securing open government is a commitment, a mission and a duty.

Editorials represent the opinion of The News Tribune editorial board. Members include Cheryl Dell, publisher; David Zeeck, executive editor and vice president for news; David Seago, editorial page editor; Patrick O’Callahan, chief editorial writer; and Cheryl Tucker and Kim Bradford, editorial writers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This year marks the 125th anniversary of the first daily publication of The Ledger and The News Tribune’s other original parent newspaper, The Daily News. It’s a good occasion to explain The News Tribune’s core values to our readers. The first Sunday of each month, we will devote part of this page to one of those values. Our third installment addresses open government.

January: First Amendment

February: Community building

March: Open government

April: Connections

May: Fairness and objectivity

June: Quality of life

July: Journalistic independence

August: Building business

September: Openness

October: Trust and integrity

November: Diversity

December: Fostering change