Recent editorials from Tennessee newspapers:
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March 15
The Johnson City Press on government transparency:
Nothing goes together better than transparency and good government. Sadly, there are some in public office who still seek to block the illuminating rays of public scrutiny.
Throughout this week, we’ll stress the importance of open government. Sunshine Week is a time to celebrate the benefits of openness in the public square, not only as a fundamental tool of citizenship, but as an essential ingredient for maintaining a free and open society.
Every Tennessean has a right to obtain certain information under the state’s open records law. These records are supposed to be open to the public - no questions asked.
Even so, enforcement of Tennessee’s public records law often ranks among the lowest in the nation because aggrieved citizens are forced to engage in costly litigation to inspect public records and documents. This is where the Tennessee Office of Open Records Counsel helps Tennesseans who encounter problems in accessing open records.
Citizens who face these problems often lack the money or knowledge they need to push an open records claim in court.
This ombudsman helps Tennesseans obtain the information they are guaranteed to see under the state’s public records law.
The open records counsel’s office can be reached by calling 1-866-831-3750, or by email at open.records@state.tn.us.
The office responds to more than a thousand requests each year, with more than half those questions coming from government officials.
Open government is essential for maintaining trust in the legislative process. It’s up to citizens to hold their elected officials accountable when they violate that trust.
Online:
https://www.johnsoncitypress.com
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March 14
The Knoxville News Sentinel on keeping city, school board elections nonpartisan:
A bill introduced by a Knoxville legislator would require that city and school board elections statewide would be partisan contests.
The idea, advanced ostensibly to increase voter turnout in those elections, would needlessly drag local governments into the partisan quagmire that so many rightfully revile.
State Rep. Eddie Smith, R-Knoxville, introduced the legislation that would affect areas with populations of 100,000 or more.
That would make Knoxville’s City Council and the Knox County School Board races partisan, as well as those in other municipalities across the state.
Smith accurately points out that turnout in Knoxville City Council elections, which are held in odd-numbered years, is dismal. The same cannot be said for Knox County School Board races, which coincide with other county elections in even-numbered years.
Only 5,440 people voted in the 2015 city election, which had four city council seats on the ballot. The 2013 election, with five open seats, drew 4,350 votes. In 2011, the last time there was a competitive race for mayor, turnout reached 21,268.
Last year’s countywide election with school board, commission and judicial races had 21,484 voters. Also on that ballot were state legislative primaries. All but the school board contests were partisan.
The easiest way to boost voter turnout in city elections would be to hold them in even-numbered years with other elections, a change that only could occur with an amendment to the city charter. City officials, alas, have shown little interest in putting the matter before voters.
Partisanship in city government and on the school board is not necessary and could be counterproductive.
Simply put, there is no Republican or Democratic way to pave streets, collect garbage or administer a reading program. Keeping city and school board elections nonpartisan would maintain the focus on results, not political points.
Knoxville City Councilman Finbarr Saunders, who has won partisan and nonpartisan contests alike, called the bill a “lousy idea.”
“We’ve got a great system that’s working well,” he said.
Nonpartisan elections on the local level allow voters to focus on the attributes of candidates, not their party affiliations.
Former Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, who now serves as Tennessee’s governor, is a staunch Republican. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is a Democrat. As mayors, both placed pragmatism above partisanship, and the city has prospered.
Republican Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, who supports partisan elections, told the News Sentinel that politics permeates all levels of government anyway. Nonpartisan races, he indicated, do not grab the attention of party activists.
Burchett said no one at Republican club meetings talks about education and speculated that education is not an issue at Democratic Party functions, either. That seems more a failure of party functionaries, however, than an indictment of the system.
Overt partisanship would not improve big city governance or large school system oversight. Lawmakers should preserve a system that works well for citizens.
Online:
https://www.knoxnews.com
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March 11
The Commercial Appeal on accessing public records:
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland Wednesday took an important step in helping 23 ex-felons remove an anchor that prevented them from becoming productive, law-abiding citizens after they have paid their debt to society.
The mayor paid the fee of $450 per person to expunge the records of nonviolent offenders. The money came from his Better Memphis Fund, a collection of private donations used to pay the costly fees.
As we have said before in this space, there is more to reducing crime than arresting, convicting and incarcerating criminals.
Another weapon in the crime-reduction arsenal involves providing ex-felons or misdemeanor offenders with support to help them re-engage with society in a productive manner.
When that happens, everybody benefits - from the ex-felons to society as a whole because the expungement increases the chances of ex-offenders finding gainful employment while decreasing the chances of them returning to criminal activity to make a living.
Criminal justice and penal officials talk a lot about the need to increase the number of programs or enhance those already in place to help ex-felons readjust to society.
Their concern is sincere, but high expungement fees can be a roadblock for people who cannot get jobs because of their criminal records or land good-paying jobs for the same reason.
Strickland should be applauded for recognizing the issue and doing something about it, along other organizations such as Just City, a Memphis-based criminal justice reform advocacy group.
State Rep. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, has filed a bill in the General Assembly this session to reduce the fee to $180 from $350, though the full price for expungement is $450. A state law regarding misdemeanors and class E felonies allows some nonviolent offenders to petition for expungement after they have completed the requirements of their sentence. A $350 expungement fee and $100 petition fee applies.
The bill, HB0418, is awaiting action in the House Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee. Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, is sponsor of a companion bill, SB1245, in the Senate. That bill passed on second consideration and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Akbari sponsored similar legislation in 2016, but it stalled in the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee over concerns that that it was expected to reduce government revenue by some $140,000.
This year, the bill is picking up bipartisan support, which may help it emerge from committees for an up-or-down votes by the full House and Senate.
We understand the concern about the loss of revenue. Another way of looking at it, however, is that reducing the fee will give more ex-felons a change to find jobs, generating more sales taxes and possibly more property taxes if the jobs pay enough for them to qualify for a mortgage.
If nothing else, it can help reduce the recidivism rate. It costs taxpayers $28,000 a year to house an inmate in a state prison.
The math alone justifies reducing the fee. Plus, it is the right thing to do. The ex-felons have paid their debt to society. Now it is up to the legislature to make it easier for them to put that debt behind them.
Online:
https://www.commercialappeal.com
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