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Last week, I spoke of my expectations of our Republican elected officials. I expressed my expectations of accountability, high integrity, always open and never hiding behind closed doors. I expect truth and honesty; I despise back room deals, closed doors and the good ol’ boy club. I expect our representatives to meet the expectations of those that put them in office and those that work to keep them in office.
To the best of my knowledge, every state level and every county level elected official in Guadalupe County wears an “R” by their name, the “R” of the Republican Party.
The only part of your letter that concerns me, and should concern everyone, is "The following afternoon, I finally received a response from Judge Old. I was told that somehow hiring a magistrate did not fall under human resources, but rather the court and therefore their business was private and could not be discussed outside the court. "
Last time I checked, none of the judges are paying out of pocket for these positions, therefore there is no reasoning for ANYTHING not to be open to the public.
This drive, which I see more and more of, for 'secrecy' in appointing people to positions, apportioning monies, and discussing policy is against every sensible pillar of good governance. If the public cannot 'see' what is going on, they are depending on elected officials to be honest - no oversite, leaving us with only 'Open records requests' and other instruments to fight with, and these confusing and mentally debilitating processes dissuading anyone with limited time or money from chasing.
It's time to "peel that onion" and kill these confidential deals in their seats. No more non-public discussions. No more allowing closed sessions, No more corruption, or event he appearance of it.
Good chase Mr. Harper, we'll be looking for a follow-up with great interest if you would.
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The only part of your letter that concerns me, and should concern everyone, is "The following afternoon, I finally received a response from Judge Old. I was told that somehow hiring a magistrate did not fall under human resources, but rather the court and therefore their business was private and could not be discussed outside the court. "
Last time I checked, none of the judges are paying out of pocket for these positions, therefore there is no reasoning for ANYTHING not to be open to the public.
This drive, which I see more and more of, for 'secrecy' in appointing people to positions, apportioning monies, and discussing policy is against every sensible pillar of good governance. If the public cannot 'see' what is going on, they are depending on elected officials to be honest - no oversite, leaving us with only 'Open records requests' and other instruments to fight with, and these confusing and mentally debilitating processes dissuading anyone with limited time or money from chasing.
It's time to "peel that onion" and kill these confidential deals in their seats. No more non-public discussions. No more allowing closed sessions, No more corruption, or event he appearance of it.
Good chase Mr. Harper, we'll be looking for a follow-up with great interest if you would.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.