Opinion: Legal ads keep public informed
April 17, 2009
OPINION
The Erie Times-News
Summit Township is shopping for storm-sewer catch basins and grates. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation and the Millcreek School District want to erect signs that need zoning variances. Fairview Township is going out for bids to pave roads. The North East School District is in the market for new school buses. The Wesleyville Hose Company intends to lease a new pumper (at a cost of $325,975), and will hold a hearing on the agreement April 29 at 7 p.m.
Whether you are a concerned citizen who tracks government spending and zoning decisions, or a business person who plans to bid on products or services for government use, you have one reliable, accessible source to monitor government -- the classified section of the Erie Times-News, in the "public notices" category.
The examples cited above came from public notices, also known as legal ads, that ran in our newspaper earlier this week.
Now State Sen. Bob Robbins, of Greenville, R-50th Dist., wants to change the law that requires government to advertise legal actions in general circulation newspapers like the Erie Times-News. Robbins would allow such notices to be published on government Web sites instead, with the burden on citizens to hunt down legal notices from a variety of sources.
This proposed legislation assumes that everyone owns a computer or has access to public Internet services at places such as the Erie County Library (where service cuts are still on the table as a way to deal with budget problems).
In Erie County, with 39 municipalities, 13 school districts and numerous public authorities, imagine having to browse through the dozens of Web sites to find out about bids, requests for proposals, authority actions, committee meetings and public hearings.
Ostensibly, the reason to change the way governmental bodies advertise legal notices is to save money, but legislative observers believe there are other reasons why Robbins enthusiastically sponsored Senate Bill 419.
In a strong editorial April 13, the Sharon Herald wrote: "It is no surprise that Robbins would want more secrecy. He was one of the office holders who voted himself a big raise in the middle-of-the-night session a few years ago, only to have it rescinded later after newspapers exposed his actions."
That 2005 vote to increase salaries for lawmakers and other state officials created a statewide movement to reform state politics. One result is that Pennsylvania now has a much stronger open-records law to bring government into the open.
The move to post legal announcements only on government Web sites runs counter to the idea that government should operate in the sunlight, with the opportunity for public scrutiny when officials are spending your money or weighing policy changes.
As journalists, we act as your government watchdog, but you also serve that role each time you speak up at a township supervisors' meeting or attend a school board meeting.
Senate Bill 419 is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee, and action to move it along could come next week when the Legislature reconvenes. State Sen. Jane Earll, of Fairview, R-49th Dist., who championed the interests of taxpayers when she stood up against the legislative pay raise, is one of 16 co-sponsors of SB 419. Tell our Erie senator that newspapers remain the most accessible way for citizens to stay informed about government action.
To find out what local government is up to, turn to our Classified section, starting on Page 6C today.
Wasn't that easy?
The Erie Times-News
Summit Township is shopping for storm-sewer catch basins and grates. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation and the Millcreek School District want to erect signs that need zoning variances. Fairview Township is going out for bids to pave roads. The North East School District is in the market for new school buses. The Wesleyville Hose Company intends to lease a new pumper (at a cost of $325,975), and will hold a hearing on the agreement April 29 at 7 p.m.
Whether you are a concerned citizen who tracks government spending and zoning decisions, or a business person who plans to bid on products or services for government use, you have one reliable, accessible source to monitor government -- the classified section of the Erie Times-News, in the "public notices" category.
The examples cited above came from public notices, also known as legal ads, that ran in our newspaper earlier this week.
Now State Sen. Bob Robbins, of Greenville, R-50th Dist., wants to change the law that requires government to advertise legal actions in general circulation newspapers like the Erie Times-News. Robbins would allow such notices to be published on government Web sites instead, with the burden on citizens to hunt down legal notices from a variety of sources.
This proposed legislation assumes that everyone owns a computer or has access to public Internet services at places such as the Erie County Library (where service cuts are still on the table as a way to deal with budget problems).
In Erie County, with 39 municipalities, 13 school districts and numerous public authorities, imagine having to browse through the dozens of Web sites to find out about bids, requests for proposals, authority actions, committee meetings and public hearings.
Ostensibly, the reason to change the way governmental bodies advertise legal notices is to save money, but legislative observers believe there are other reasons why Robbins enthusiastically sponsored Senate Bill 419.
In a strong editorial April 13, the Sharon Herald wrote: "It is no surprise that Robbins would want more secrecy. He was one of the office holders who voted himself a big raise in the middle-of-the-night session a few years ago, only to have it rescinded later after newspapers exposed his actions."
That 2005 vote to increase salaries for lawmakers and other state officials created a statewide movement to reform state politics. One result is that Pennsylvania now has a much stronger open-records law to bring government into the open.
The move to post legal announcements only on government Web sites runs counter to the idea that government should operate in the sunlight, with the opportunity for public scrutiny when officials are spending your money or weighing policy changes.
As journalists, we act as your government watchdog, but you also serve that role each time you speak up at a township supervisors' meeting or attend a school board meeting.
Senate Bill 419 is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee, and action to move it along could come next week when the Legislature reconvenes. State Sen. Jane Earll, of Fairview, R-49th Dist., who championed the interests of taxpayers when she stood up against the legislative pay raise, is one of 16 co-sponsors of SB 419. Tell our Erie senator that newspapers remain the most accessible way for citizens to stay informed about government action.
To find out what local government is up to, turn to our Classified section, starting on Page 6C today.
Wasn't that easy?
