Nikki Whitty gripped by a sudden desire to at least appear more transparent to county residents regarding the Road Department layoffs booked the Owen Bldg large conference room for Tuesday, January 20 at 10AM for a ‘worksession’. Public is invited but unconfirmed reports indicate the road crew are not. They may not take time off to attend the meeting.

The purpose of the worksession is limited to sharing information relating to both the need for the reorganization and the department’s plan for carrying out their responsibilities in the future.

Following the worksession the Board will respond to questions from the public, however, because of the Unfair Labor Practice claim filed against Coos County, and upon the advice of County Counsel, the Board may defer some questions to a later date.

Limiting the public’s input regarding the information chosen to be shared seems more opaque than transparent but is hardly surprising in light of their normal manner of involving the public in matters concerning governance and safety. For example, at Wednesday’s Board meeting Whitty announced that the interview for the newly hired roadmaster had been publicly announced.

No one save those invited to attend had any idea an interview had taken place or when it was announced but it was and here is how it happened. On November 26, 2008 the Board issued a special meetings notice available on the county website. Listed for December 3 is this item:

1:00 PM Executive Session Under the Authority of ORS 192.660 (2)(a) to consider the employment of a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent (possible worksession immediately following)- Commissioners Courtroom

December 12 another special meetings notice using the identical text above for December 16 at 1:30 PM. Presumably the new IT Director and the new Roadmaster were interviewed on December 3 and December 16, not necessarily in that order. ‘Worksession’, (not a real word by the way) must be commissioner speak for ‘county business conducted so as not to attract public interest’.

Technically, the Board has complied with public reports and meetings laws but unless the public is endowed with extra sensory perception or is channeling their Grandpa Louis, the spirit of the law as in informing the public is not being met. One can only wonder why they would wish to be so ‘opaque’.

Finally, from the sublime to the absolutely ridiculous. Wednesday, before the Board meeting I stopped upstairs at Mary Barton’s office to find out how I could determine what the county pays annually for electricity. Barton referred me to Human Resources. Human Resources, unfortunately is never open, no one ever answers the door and Wednesday was no exception. Luckily for me some one suggested I head down to Accounting and sure enough Melissa was able to print out some helpful information.

This morning I wanted to look at a bill to determine what the county pays per kilowatt hour and again stopped by to see Melissa. Imagine my surprise when Melissa informed me that because I was a reporter I had to run all my requests through Steve Allen head of Human Resources. Allen is regularly referred to as the ‘G-Man’ by county employees presumably stemming from his tenure with Solid Waste.

Notwithstanding there is no connection between electricity usage and a human resources department or that I was not inquiring as a reporter but as a citizen (not that it should make any difference) Allen is discriminating against a citizen.

While I was not in the accounting department as a reporter the fact that a reporter’s questions must be screened by a department head naturally piqued my interest. What is Allen afraid of? For that matter, what is the Board afraid of that they make it so hard for the public to follow what they are doing?

As usual, the entrance to Human Resources is locked, so how do I address this matter with Allen if he will not receive visitors? Melissa, bless her heart and possessing a key to the inner sanctum left me standing in the hall and went in locking the door behind her, to inquire of his lordship whether a citizen might look at an electric bill. Allen dispatched a message via the dutiful Melissa, who locking the door on the way out advised me that I must fill out a public records request available on the county website.

Upon filling out the public records request also known as a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) I encountered yet another dilemma. The appropriate COOS COUNTY RECORD CUSTODIAN to whom I must deliver my request is Human Resources, the department that requires a pass code and a secret handshake to enter. By now I was on the verge of crankiness which in my case often leads to snarkiness (also not a real word) and was beginning to express my frustration aloud when an angel appeared in the form of County Counsel Jackie Haggerty who suggested I slide my FOIA request under the door.

There you have it, I was forced to stoop to an all time low just to find out how many cents per kwh the county pays for electricity. Thank goodness I am still limber enough to bend down to ground level. Really, how bloody ridiculous! Has the G-Man never heard of ‘public access’?

What are the Board and the G-Man hiding? What are they afraid I might find from looking into public records, records that are supposed to be available to anyone? If I wasn’t curious before, I sure as hell am now.

Next, I need to know how to pickup my records. No doubt, Allen will make me wait the maximum seven days but then how will I collect the information? Will he pass it under the door and I will find it laying in the hallway next Friday.

I am thinking of holding a contest for the most creative way in which to pass messages, FOIAs, paperwork and also to speculate about what really lurks ‘Behind the Locked Door’, (not to be confused with the 70’s xxx movie ‘Behind the Green Door’). First prize would be a life size portrait of the G-Man himself printed on a dart board. Second prize might be the darts fashioned from solid waste. Third prize a life time supply of public record requests to stuff under The Locked Door.