Too many officials show a lack of concern for transparency

I’m talking about poor optics – and I don’t mean outdated glasses. Today’s topic is social perception.

There’s been some recent news that, in various ways, illustrates an uncomfortable fact of life in Iowa – that too many state and local officials are *not* comfortable with the public looking over their shoulders as they perform their official duties.

One case filled with irony involves the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors. The second involves state treasurer Roby Smith.

I have been following these types of problems since the beginning of my journalistic career. One of the first guard dog stories I wrote was about a county supervisor who arranged for a tractor to be sold to his son without any public bid.

Scientific research and surveys show that taxpaying people believe in the importance of conducting government business publicly rather than in secret. Research also shows that the public appreciates the work done by two-legged watchdogs, such as journalists and concerned citizens who attend board and government meetings and shed light on how tax dollars are spent.

When Des Moines County supervisors gathered in Burlington recently, they voted to kick out spectators and go into closed session to discuss with county department heads how the county handles requests for government records.

You read that right. Regulators closed the door to discuss the county’s position on transparency.

The Burlington Hawk Eye reported that the county’s chief information technology officer told supervisors they needed to discuss the matter without public comment because other counties were receiving multiple requests for data from so-called data mining companies that create reports based on government information. and then sell this information to the public.

Regulatory Chairman Tom Broeker justified the closed meeting by pointing to a provision in the public meetings law that allows private discussions “to review or discuss records that are required or permitted by state or federal law to maintain confidentiality.”

There is only one problem with this justification. Documents shared with these data companies by other counties are *not* subject to any obligation of confidentiality, nor are they authorized to do so. Often, these requests involve property records that have been publicly available since pioneers crossed the Mississippi River nearly 200 years ago and began building homes in what is now Des Moines County.

Simply put, superiors did not want to discuss public matters with the public. Regulators failed to comply with the first paragraph of Iowa’s 50-year-old public meetings law, which states that the law is intended to assure citizens through open meetings that the basis and rationale for government decisions will be readily available.

The news about Treasurer Roby Smith follows a reporter’s request for records showing how often he works from his home in Davenport rather than from his office on Capitol Hill in Des Moines. In denying the records request, officials actually said that providing the *number* of days that Smith scanned his security badge and entered the Capitol could jeopardize his security.

No one wants to jeopardize Smith’s safety. But it’s nonsense to argue that knowing how many days he spent on Capitol Hill last month somehow puts him at risk today.

What comes into play here is the question of his responsibility to society. He and other elected officials in Iowa’s government don’t strike the clock when they’re at work.

However, several facts placed Smith in an uncomfortable position in the public spotlight. Three years ago, Gov. Kim Reynolds recommended that most state government employees resume working in their offices rather than at home. US Senator Joni Ernst has been a vocal critic of federal agencies allowing employees to work from home. She called for greater transparency in work-from-home practices.

Journalist Laura Belin, who publishes the Bleeding Heartland news and commentary website, learned from public records that Smith was reimbursed for travel expenses to travel from Davenport to attend work-related meetings of the Iowa Lottery Board and the IPERS Retirement System Investment Board, which they meet away from the Capitol complex.

Smith was not reimbursed for travel expenses between his home and office on Capitol Hill.

When Belin asked for calendars showing the dates Smith was at the Capitol, his staff said no such records existed. Belin then asked for his security card information showing the dates he used his card to enter the Capitol.

Officials refused, citing an exception to the Public Records Act that protects information and records “related to security measures, such as security and response plans, security codes and combinations, passwords, restricted area passes, keys, and security or response procedures “.

Belin asked for no such thing. She just wanted how many days Smith used his badge to enter the Capitol. Disclosing the number of days does not endanger the treasurer’s safety to a greater extent than exempting him from reimbursement of travel expenses by car or plane.

As I told Belin, I have a feeling the treasurer’s office doesn’t want the public to know that Smith spends most of his time working in Davenport.

I don’t mind if he decides to work from home. I don’t like it when his staff tries to hide from the public how often he visits the Capitol.

It doesn’t bother me that Des Moines County supervisors are discussing how they should respond if companies request large amounts of real estate and appraiser data. I don’t like discussions taking place in private.

The legislature has made clear that conducting government business in public places may cause inconvenience or embarrassment to public officials or others. However, it is an important way for citizens to hold their officials accountable.

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Randy Evans is the executive director of Iowa Freedom

of Information Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes openness and transparency in Iowa’s state and local governments. He can be contacted at

[email protected].