Applaud openness initiative
Today, we have the opportunity to applaud the initiative of Salt Lake County Councilman David Wilde to effectively open to the public Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Carroon's weekly cabinet meetings. Wilde is seeking a county ordinance that would require the mayor to publicly advertise and permit residents to the meetings, a move spurred by scandal in the previous administration. Some pundits say that under former Mayor Nancy Workman, the closed atmosphere contributed to the scandals that rocked county government last year.
Initially, Carroon opposed operating the meetings under the conditions of the state open meetings law. But he has reached a compromise with Wilde to advertise the meetings and open the proceedings to the public, but no minutes will be taken. It's a good starting point. Both men are to be commended for their refreshing commitment to open government. We believe this will be a boon to the public process and we encourage other members of the executive branch to take notice.
Frankly, the internal operations of county government do not usually produce sizzling newspaper copy. Much of the work of the cabinet involves purchasing, ensuring that the bills are paid, that various agencies perform the services they are charged to do and that county government operates as efficiently as possible.
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