Elected officials should deliberate appointments in public

The premise of Wyoming’s public meetings law is simple: The public’s business should be conducted in public.

When a member of a publicly elected board must step down before his or her term ends, the best solution is for the other board members to choose the successor in a public process, including the debate among board members.

The public’s business must be “available to the public whenever that is possible,” according to the Wyoming Supreme Court’s consistent rulings (Sheridan Newspapers v. City of Sheridan, 1983).

Although the Wyoming Public Records Act states, “A governing body of an agency may hold executive sessions not open to the public: (ii) To consider the appointment … of a public officer, professional person or employee,” it isn’t necessary or prudent to deliberate behind closed doors.

The Jackson Town Council is knee-deep in a process to choose a replacement councilor because Arne Jorgensen was elected mayor in the middle of his council term. While the council winnowed the list of 17 applicants partially in public, it recessed to executive session to do the real work of deliberating on a new peer.

Publicly, councilors voiced preference for someone who pays attention to local government and who plays well with others. Privately, who knows what criteria were applied?

Election season can be messy, but the flurry of campaigning, debate on the issues and occasional mudslinging provide valuable insight to constituents. Candidates have to get out and meet citizens face to face.

If members of the public are entrusted to vote into office a person of their choosing, they should be entitled to listen to the council’s deliberations on whom the council chooses to elevate to public office.

Starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, the Town Council will interview five finalists for the vacant seat. The public can and should watch those interviews in person at Town Hall.

The council has the opportunity to do the right thing and deliberate the public’s business in public. Councilors should resist the urge to go behind closed doors to choose the final member of their team.

Furthermore, appointments for all public boards should follow suit, whether that’s START, pathways, the county fair, school board or airport. The town and county have made a bad habit of deliberating solely in secret for board appointments.

Let’s keep the process of democracy public.

Editor's note (10 a.m. Jan. 23): This editorial has been updated to reflect that the town has chosen not to stream the finalist interviews on its website, saying it could give an unfair advantage to applicants who interview later in the day.