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Editorial: Shutting the door sends wrong message There's a healthy strain of government mistrust among Americans, and it's one area where Ashlanders - we hope - fall into step with the rest of the nation. Some of us who have faith in the motives of the Ashland City Council - while keeping one eye on the till - had that faith rocked at a recent meeting where councilors openly discussed ways to get around the state's open meetings laws. On March 18, the council was set to discuss a proposal to shrink the amount of money the city gives to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Ashland Chamber of Commerce for tourism promotion. At the request of OSF and chamber chiefs, the council tabled the discussion to talk about the issues in private. The city attorney, when asked by the council, advised members to assign only three councilors to meet with OSF and the Chamber. Under Oregon public meetings law, if less than a quorum of a public body is present, a meeting is not subject to public meeting rules, skirting requirements for public notice of the meeting and allowing the group to keep members of the media and the public out. For the Ashland City Council, four members make a quorum. What happened at that secret meeting? Probably very little. But The Tidings and the people of Ashland will never know. For such a substantive meeting to go dark because of a desire to avoid public scrutiny is not just an effort to skirt our coverage. It's an effort to ensure the public remains unaware. And it redoubles the suspicions of those who already believe OSF has an unhealthy amount of influence in this town. Rather than drawing a picture of a city which works hand-in-hand with its major employers, the council's actions made it appear that the chamber and OSF call the shots. The Tidings covers every council meeting, most planning commission meetings, the majority of public forums and more than a smattering of the work performed by smaller committees and commissions in the city. There may be one or two bad apples - people in positions of power or influence who are less than completely honest, or who have a habit of trying to manipulate the media and the public. But day in and day out, it's abundantly clear that those who have volunteered for public service are working hard for what they think is best for Ashland. Still, a healthy mistrust is, well, healthy. That the city council bent over backwards to circumvent state laws governing open meetings can only foster suspicion and push mistrust beyond a healthy level. It is our position that this council and all public bodies should redouble efforts to uphold the spirit - as well as the letter - of the law. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -