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Public oversight beneficial Pity the government employee. He’s got three bosses — the administrators he answers to, the elected officials they answer to and the citizens they all serve. Still, public employees do their best. That’s what News-Journal volunteers reaffirmed recently when they asked local school administrations, police departments and city halls to show them records residents might want to see. Most government workers wanted to help our volunteers. If they didn’t know how to find a record, they asked someone who did. But they frequently goofed up, requiring volunteers to fill out a form, give a reason for the request or reveal their name and phone number. Government workers can’t do that under Florida law. Some government offices bent over backwards. The South Daytona city manager offered a volunteer coffee while she waited for copies of his e-mails to city commissioners. The DeBary city manager waived the standard 15-cents-per-page copying fee. Ponce Inlet police copied two weeks of theft reports, no questions asked, in minutes. But some offices blundered. Oak Hill police seemed to be trying to get rid of our volunteer, telling her she had to fill out a form and the police chief had to approve it. Plus, it would cost $5 per page. Orange City workers acted like no one ever asked for records and they wished no one ever would. They demanded the volunteer give his name and write out his request and insisted they were too busy to get to it for days. They also told him a city employee must accompany him while he looked at the city manager’s e-mails. Halifax Hospital officials required our volunteer, standing at the reception desk, to fax his request for its audit. They said they like to keep track of who asks for that information. For what? A wiretap? When public employees ask the names and numbers of residents seeking public records, that’s intimidating. It’s also against the law. Most supervisors knew that. Many clerks and receptionists didn’t. While that tells you local governments need to train their employees better, it also tells you they’re not accustomed to residents asking for records. Residents should. Public records are the key to a treasure box full of information to help you. Want to check out the cop who pulled you over? Look at his personnel file to see if others have complained. Want to know who owns the house with the car on blocks and grass above the windowsill? Check with the property appraiser. Say there’s a new principal in town with rumors of a shady past. Go to the school board to see his employee file. Maybe you want to know if your doctor ever seriously hurt a patient. Look at adverse incident reports at the state Department of Health. If you’re worried about the new babysitter, search the Department of Corrections database. Residents often accuse city commissioners of wasting tax dollars. Find out by getting a copy of the budget. When it comes to open government, public employees have their job and we citizens have ours. When residents regularly ask for public information, government workers will quickly learn the do’s and don’ts of the law. Higher-ups will know their bosses are watching. The more we watch, the better government we’ll get. Pamela Hasterok is a News-Journal columnist. Reach her at pamela.hasterok@news-jrnl.com.
Reproduced courtesy of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. |
