The County Line
Newspaper publishers around the state are understandably upset with some state legislators who want to allow removal of public notices from newspapers and require only that notices appear on governmental websites. The controversial bill in the legislature failed, but it will likely come again in some form.
Our own Hamilton County legislators Tony Cook, Donna Schaibley, Chuck Goodrich, and Chris Jeter voted for this bill. Why you might ask? Probably because many local government leaders and school officials are lobbying for it. These folks say they can save the money it costs to run legal advertising.
If one looks at a city budget or a school budget, it is obvious that money spent on legal notices is infinitesimal compared to many other expenditures.
Saving that small amount is not a good enough reason to stop publication of advance notice of the public’s business.
Our legislators should be trying to assist the public they serve, promoting transparency and easier access to public services and information.
Many of our state legislators are trying to do a good job of representing us, but with some others we must ask what in the world are they thinking about? Not only in the matter of public notices, but in other matters such as last week’s attempt to curtail home rule by opening the door to wind farms with statewide legislation.
Then there were news reports revealing proposed legislation that would benefit the author of the legislation in his business dealings.
Yet there is no attempt to stop the scandalous ‘Pay to Play’ racket in which some government officials are given contributions in expectation of awarding contracts for goods or services to the donor.
All this activity should tell us that the average taxpaying citizens need a powerful lobbyist to counter the special interests and help legislators remember who they were elected to represent.
It looks to me that it is about time to remind the State Government that thy can be voted out of office.