Opinion: City of Clovis lets sun shine in with email release

When Clovis pastor Farril Defoor and Portales school teacher Logan Brown asked for thousands of public emails late last year, it would have surprised no one if Clovis city officials cried “excessively burdensome.” Or, as other public entities have been known to do, they could have claimed the records were all protected under some kind of “attorney-client privilege.” Or that city government didn’t have access to all of its elected officials’ cell phone or personal computer records.

It’s sadly routine for most public entities to put effort into keeping the public from finding out about public business.

Instead, you know what the city did? It produced most of the requested records and gave them to Defoor and Brown for the cost of two thumb drives.

As the law requires.

“I believe citizens having the ability to request public records is a good thing and the hallmark of transparency in government,” Clovis Mayor Mike Morris said.

Morris even asked city officials to post all of the records released onto the city’s website so everyone could see them. That didn’t happen, for a number of logical reasons, but what a breath of fresh air – government following its own laws.

Morris and City Manager Justin Howalt, with the blessing of the city attorney, let the sun shine in.

Life inside local government isn’t always this transparent, despite laws that require it.

Curry County once refused to release records showing what its employees were paid until this newspaper took it to court.

Clovis police for years refused to make arrest records available for public inspection in a timely manner, until new Chief Roy Rice started following the law last year.

Clovis Community College has been keeping secrets about its president since the summer and we’re all still wondering how much he will be paid to “resign,” as trustees said last week he plans to do.

So the release of city of Clovis officials’ emails and other electronic communications is cause for celebration. This government agency is acting like it works for us, instead of the other way around.

Morris said last week there was some hesitation from within about posting the emails on the city website and city officials convinced him it was a bad idea.

For one thing, it would have taken employees hours to post; the emails would be hard to read in context; many of the records released are from city residents who probably had no idea their names and neighborhood issues could become public. Also, the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act does not require the records requested by Defoor and Brown be posted online.

But while an argument can be made for posting all public records online all the time for everyone to read, the city of Clovis deserves accolades for even considering the idea.

And by releasing the emails without a fight – as if city government works for us -- the city has set the standard for open government that all of our local governments should follow.

Applause, applause.

— David Stevens

Publisher