"State Board of Elections chairman Ben Chandler said the task force was proper. 'That's fine. They can say what they want,' he said. 'It was just research. We did the same thing in the primary.'"

I deeply respect former Attorney General Ben Chandler — particularly his ability to assemble an effective front office "team of rivals" in an administration that gave more than lip service to the importance of Kentucky's open government laws.

It is therefore disappointing to learn that the former attorney general has adopted such a cavalier attitude toward these laws in the 17 years since he left the office.

I take no comfort in knowing that the State Board of Elections twice failed to consider the open government implications of the formation of a work group or task force to make recommendations on election process.

If, indeed, it happened twice, the SBE should bear in mind that two wrongs don't make a right.

Because that work group/task force was so completely shrouded in secrecy, no one other than the participants — if they gave it any thought — knows whether it constituted a public agency for open meetings and records purposes.

Based on what we know, and what the SBE has acknowledged, the work force/task force was a "public agency," subject to these laws, under at least one — possibly two — definitions of that term. It's failure to consider this possibility and implement the statutorily mandated requirements is an affront to the public's right to know.

And it's chairman's dismissive attitude sends an unfortunate message to other agencies which may now be tempted to write Kentucky's open government laws off by characterizing closed door discussions of public business as "research."