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Editorial: Government in the dark blinds us all Florida has never been a bastion of the rights of the general public. One need not look beyond the presidential vote-counting fiasco in the last presidential election to make this determination. But in 1905, Florida - the self-proclaimed Sunshine State - saw its Supreme Court rise from the ashes and rule that the public could attend city and town government meetings. This ruling spawned the "sunshine laws" that, since 1977, have been embraced by every state in the union. The Watergate scandal of the 1970s spurred the remaining states to pass the sunshine laws, and led the federal government in 1976 to pass the "Government in the Sunshine Act," opening government meetings to the public. Government in the sunshine is a critical safeguard against secrecy of public bodies - agencies that serve the people. In the recent whirlwind of dissent that blows around and through the Rogue Valley Transportation District, that board's meeting in the dark to expel Sherrin Coleman, its general manager, appears in every way to be a violation of that act. Whatever side of the issue you fall on, the tactics employed by the RVTD board were wrong. There were no public meetings leading to the decision. The board acted alone, privately, far away from the rays of light required by government regulation. A concerted effort was waged to recall five members of the board over the actions against Coleman. On Thursday, the Jackson County Clerk's Office announced the effort had failed to collect enough signatures. The required 6,800 registered voter signatures were attained, but enough of those signatures were disqualified by the clerk's office to quell the endeavor. But recalled or not, the RVTD board is not off the hook. These are elected officials, and they have operated inappropriately. Eva Avery, Carol Bennett, Kay Harrison, Susan McKenzie and Mary Wooding are the five members who violated the public trust and jettisoned Coleman. Remember those names. They will appear on future ballots. Let the sunshine in. 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 -