To the Editor:
One could not help but notice the juxtaposition of two articles in the Oct. 25 Times- News. Jim Goldsworthy’s piece (“Here’s one day in the life of a U.S. Marine,” Page 8E) on the death of my Marine comrade and friend, Lt. Col. Billy Menges, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, was powerful and poignant.
The second was Kevin Spradlin’s story on the front page, (“Officials gain insight into public records law”). Board of Elections administrator Kitty Davis, is to be commended for taking the leadership on this essential matter of democracy.
On one hand, you have this brave Marine risking his life for our freedom on Iwo Jima; and on the other a presentation for regional county officials regarding citizen access to public documents and records.
Lt. Col. Menges’ story of sacrifice and strength was an inspiration to all. The other story bespoke the importance of information to our way of life and our freedom, the very things Menges fought for.
As most informed readers know, obtaining public information from an organization in perpetual disarray is not easy in Allegany or Garrett counties. There is a persistent tendency for county commissioners and top staff to make the simplest requests a harrowing trip through a byzantine corn maze.
While county officials purport to function under and comply with the Maryland Public Information Act, the reality is that unelected senior administrators, often with the encouragement of their leaders, often attempt to short-circuit and discourage relatively unembellished requests for information.
Interestingly, not one county commissioner or county administrator attended the presentation by Assistant Attorney General Bill Varga, and they are the individuals most likely to violate the people’s will to gain public information.
Problems invariably arise when meddling administrators and attorneys become involved in answering the routine questions of citizens. Red tape, senseless procedures, impersonal treatment, and disdain toward people they represent lead to foot-dragging and unresponsiveness by arrogant and unresponsive senior bureaucrats.
How can we encourage elected and appointed county leaders to overcome their resistance to open and transparent government? This kind of change should not be that hard to effect.
People should expect the bureaucracy to be representative, responsive, and useful to the society they serve. Perhaps they even have a right to this, in the process becoming their own authority, even if it means a reduction in the authority of government. At the least, there should be a professional commitment to serving the public with information in can legally access by not getting in the way.
As it is, the unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats seem to believe they have some sort of a divine right to jerk people around. Rule by the unelected is arrogant.
In our region, it appears to be a habit of mind that is too often encouraged by elected officials, who either lack knowledge about a particular issue or who more likely are asleep at the switch. They simply don’t want the embarrassment of being exposed. Such behavior is the underlying essence of a tyrannical polity.
In Allegany and Garrett counties, the discussion on the street is no longer simply about the arrogance of our leaders, but their ignorance and contempt for the people they serve.
James Madison said it best: “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance … . A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy….”
This arrogance of power undermines the very freedom we cherish. Lt. Col. Menges’ courage remains a beacon in these dark times; reminding us that we can, and should, do better.
John Bambacus
Frostburg
