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Open Government
I favor the following changes to the way the county commissioners do business:
Prohibit undisclosed secret meetings and communications between our elected officials and applicants for changes in zoning and other land use regulations. Ex parte communications between developers and our elected officials should either be fully disclosed or not take place at all.
Applicants for changes in zoning or other land use regulations should not be able to make campaign contributions to county commissioners while the application is pending. Similarly, county commissioners who have received campaign contributions form such applicants during the three years prior to the filing of the application should not participate in the proceeding.
Meetings of the county commissioners should be open to the public and press unless the law permits a closed meeting and there are compelling reasons for closing the meeting. The mere fact that the law permits a closed meeting on a particular topic is not a compelling justification. For example, all meetings relating to economic development loans and handouts should be open to the public, even though the law permits such meetings to be closed. If the business or developer seeking the handout doesn't like it, let 'em go somewhere else!