Departing Metro Council member and long time open government advocate, Bill Hollander, opines in today’s Courier Journal that Louisville’s new mayoral administration — under Craig Greenberg — must “Move Louisville forward by offering transparency in Metro Government.” The challenge is a daunting one but one that must be accepted.
I was introduced to Bill in my early days as an assistant attorney general charged with reviewing open records and open meetings appeals. He was one of many advocates for access to public records and meetings I was privileged to know over time. His commitment to open government has clearly not diminished. Indeed, his experience as a member of the Metro Council seems to have strengthened his resolve.
He offers concrete recommendations for immediate improvements. These include:
• embracing transparency by conducting an open process to hire a new police chief on the recent Cincinnati model;
• posting policy memos representing the views of transition team members on a public transition website on the model of Chicago Mayor-elect’s transition team; and
• posting advance notice of all transition team meetings and opening them to the public on the model of Pensacola’s Mayor-elect.
The newly elected mayor should implement these proposals without delay if he is genuinely committed to open government in both word and deed.
“Louisvillians,” Bill concludes, “are ready for change. A critical part of that change is rebuilding trust and reshaping the perception of local government based on values of transparency and accountability at all levels of city government.”
Values of transparency and accountability, we would add, that are not mere lip service but that must be put into action.
