Government works best out in the open and in the light. When public agencies make critical decisions behind closed doors, the people they serve are left guessing and trust suffers.

A series of recent actions by Tri-City public agencies make the case for transparency even more important:

• Port of Benton commissioners placing their executive director on paid administrative leave, with no explanation to the public. 
• Ben Franklin Transit’s CEO voluntarily placing himself on administrative leave amid allegations about his financial mismanagement.
• The Housing Authority of the City of Pasco & Franklin County placing its executive director on paid leave, with no explanation to the public. He has since formally left the agency. 

We understand that personnel matters and sensitive investigations often involve private details that cannot be disclosed and that due process must be respected. 

But public agencies still have a responsibility to strike a better balance: provide transparency where possible, explain the rationale behind actions and communicate outcomes that affect the community. 

Instead, we’ve been seeing a retreat into the dark. 

Regular updates, clear timelines and proactive communication help the public understand how decisions are made – and why. When agencies communicate openly and follow open meetings and public records laws in both letter and spirit, they build trust rather than erode it.

Openness and privacy can coexist. Agencies that get this balance right strengthen accountability and earn the public’s confidence. Government functions best when it functions openly.

Washington’s public records and open meetings laws exist to prevent secrecy and ensure officials act as stewards of the public trust. These laws favor disclosure because hiding information rarely serves the public. Secrecy serves only those who hope to avoid scrutiny or fear casting their agency in a poor light. All elected officials and those who work with them would do well to know these laws and then to champion them.

Public officials who operate openly earn credibility and strengthen civic trust. Those who do not risk eroding confidence – and ultimately democracy itself suffers.

Rebuilding trust requires action, from both officials and the public. Agencies must communicate openly and follow the law. Citizens must stay engaged and hold them to account.

The message is simple: Government exists to serve the people. Silence is not neutral; it is a choice. Transparency is not a courtesy; it’s a requirement.