The surest way for a government to cut itself off from its people is to keep the people from knowing what their elected officials are supposedly doing for them.
The Wyoming Public Records Act (WPRA) was enacted to promote public knowledge about government actions and to break the veil of secrecy behind which the government hides.
I've written three columns about the WPRA celebrating its successes and complaining about its failures.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/11/05/rod-miller-schroeder-and-inner-circle-broke-the-law-besides-looking-like-nincompoops/
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/09/24/rod-miller-government-secrets-vs-the-wyoming-public-records-act/
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/10/29/rod-miller-the-wyoming-public-records-act-at-work/
However, I myself have never requested information from the government under this law. My youngest son, Vic, who is himself a pit bull who follows government transparency and the First Amendment, challenged me to put a little faith in him and file a claim under the WPRA. .
Vick said that to request public information from the city of Cheyenne, the request must first be made through some type of “portal” or gateway into city government, and that a large amount of personal information is required before the request can be made. I said it would be. considered.
Both Vic and I smell a rat because we strongly believe that we should know more about our government than it knows about us.
So I made the following request under the WPRA to the designated public records official for our small city in the foothills. City of Cheyenne regarding handling of public records requests. ”
To their credit, the City of Cheyenne responded quickly, but denied my request because the information I requested was protected by attorney-client privilege.
So I start racking my brain, and whenever I'm confused, I turn to the Wyoming Constitution. The first words of our Constitution are: “All power is vested in the people, and all free governments are founded on the authority of the people…”
If the city attorney, who is chartered and paid by the citizens, can keep legal advice for the city of Wyoming (a city chartered and funded by the citizens) confidential from the citizens, then the Constitution requires that such secrecy be maintained. It would violate the first principles of government. .
If city governments and their city attorneys believe that the government is a client in the attorney-client privilege, they should read the Wyoming Constitution again and pay more attention this time.
We, the people of the Cowboy State, are the government of Wyoming. we are clients.
And if our elected officials begin to erect a wall of secrecy between us and the lawyers hired to do our legal work, it will be offensive to both the lawyers and the people who hold election certificates. You should start asking questions that will make you.
And if the government answers these questions with “It's a secret,” we need to roll up our sleeves and change things.
No matter the circumstances, in a free society like ours, especially in a state like Wyoming, the people are in some way treated as secondary to the government or have no way of knowing what the government is doing for them. We should not settle for being treated as worthless.
I think the WPRA is a good enough instrument to tweak and turn the volume up to 11. And I think that requires sharp teeth.
The penalties for those who violate the WPRA and keep government secrets from the public should be enough to deter that bullshit.
A constructive first step would be for the Wyoming Legislature to reconsider the WPRA and ensure that the government can no longer hide behind attorney-client privilege at the expense of the public's absolute right to know what it is doing. I'll probably make it impossible.
Our Constitution literally requires it.
Rod Miller can be reached at: Rodsmillerwyo@yahoo.com
