Transparency 1- what? why?

Well here comes another 4 part series……

Transparency is more than a catch phrase, it should be a basic building block of democracy. Unfortunately, many politicians have lost that perspective. I have found the sheer mountain of articles available on political transparency to be both astounding and enlightening.

Jean-Patrick Villeneuve is an associate professor in Public Communication and Management at the University of Lugano, Switzerland. In a recent article, he said;

“Governments themselves decide where the boundaries of transparency lie. For instance, they determine what information is classified as sensitive and which public bodies are subject to freedom of information requests. But there are other forces shaping what the public expects to know and how transparent our governments actions truly are. News leaks, open data movements and radical transparency initiatives like WikiLeaks are moving the boundary between what is legal and what is illegal, and between what the public does and does not have a right to know.”

Throughout the world, political transparency is often shaped and regulated by public interest, technology and even legal limitations.

However, the actual practices that shape open and transparent governance are implemented by the actual bureaucrats and elected bodies they control. As stated by Villeneuve above, these people alone determine our access to information by THEIR choices.

Some politicians realize the importance of an informed and engaged public. The strategies of providing unfettered sharing of decision making and information can build trust and a positive Community Spirit.

There are others however who prefer to simply “sell” the concept of engagement while actually reducing the “informed” aspect of municipal decisions. This group is careful to adhere to legislated minimums and they want their adoring public to believe they are like those in the first group.

Over the next few days, let’s examine some of the changes to Wasaga Beaches political procedures as they relate to transparency. Then, you decide if those decisions build up or erode public trust. More importantly, do these decisions build up or erode your trust.

First, let’s examine why the word transparency is often part of most political Campaigns.

Trust has become a standard concern during elections and the word transparency gets thrown around by many as a campaign tool. Sadly, once entrusted with the responsibility of governing, some politicians forget or never really knew all that contributes to true transparency.

To break things up a bit, tomorrow we will talk about technology and the next day we will discuss process.

The final discussion will examine how Social Media is undeniably having an impact on transparency. When the public starts to demand answers, they actually influence policy.

As these discussions roll out, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts and observations related to transparency in Wasaga Beach Politics or Politics in general.