Open government?

In 2010 the first year of Mr. Kenney’s service on the Board of Supervisors, it held nine closed meetings or put another way, 35% of all the Board of Supervisors meetings resulted in a closed session. In 2011 there were seven closed sessions or 23% of the meetings. But that record is about to go down in flames. Since Mr. Kenney became chair at the beginning of 2012, there have been 11 meetings of the board with eight closed sessions on either legal or personnel issues. Thus this year so far 72% of the board’s meetings have included a secret or closed session. This is an all time record for closed meetings in the recent history of the board. By contrast in 2009, the last year I chaired the board there was one closed meeting.

What about the run up to the recent disastrous budget? That budget was sprung on the Board of Supervisors on the morning of their meeting to set the tax rate. At least two of the supervisors had never seen it. The superintendent of schools was given about three hours to prepare a rebuttal to its drastic cuts in school funding. The public was kept completely in the dark and out of the process.

All of this makes a mockery of Mr. Kenney’s 2009 assertions. Quite the reverse is taking place. The Board of Supervisors chair has a duty and responsibility to build confidence in the governmental process. What has happened is an unprecedented lack of transparency and openness leading to a remarkable loss of confidence in our local government. Not a pretty picture!