Secrecy spoils Commission decision By Warren Bluhm News-Chronicle Much is made of the area newspaper competition, but every so often we are on the same page, figuratively speaking at least. As the Green Bay Press-Gazette noted in its editorial page Sunday, it's a shame that the Green Bay Police and Fire Commission marred the selection of great guy Craig Van Schyndle as police chief by lying about the circumstances of the choice. There's no other way to put it. He was picked during a Thursday night meeting that had been advertised in the public notice as a session where the background checks of candidates would be reviewed. A reporter was specifically told Friday that no decision had been made at the meeting. Only Monday did the truth come out. That is not the way the Wisconsin open meetings law says it's supposed to work. The Sturgeon Bay Police and Fire Commission got it right with the equally fine pick of Tim Herlache as the city's new fire chief. The list of six finalists was released to the public and printed in the Door County Advocate. A public notice announced that the commission would meet for "review/selection" of a new chief. They picked the chief and made the announcement the next day. That is the way the Wisconsin open meetings law says it's supposed to work. You may wonder why newspapers make such a big deal about open meetings and open records. You may not care whether the choice of a new police or fire chief is properly opened to the public. But a time likely will come when you want to attend a public meeting or read a public record, and it benefits you if government is accustomed to being open when you need that information. Maybe it'll be a new sewer or water line that could result in a special assessment on your property. Maybe it'll be a plan for a minimall around the corner. Maybe it'll be a loved one accused of a crime. Someday something will happen, and you will go to a government office seeking answers. Certain exemptions do enable a public body to meet behind closed doors or allow a public official to say, "You can't see that document." But that is never the end of it. They have to explain why, and you have a legal recourse to appeal their decision. That's why alert reporters and editors scream bloody murder when these fairly simple rules are broken. Maybe you don't care who the other finalists were; maybe you don't care that a decision was made without the public being informed in advance. But if we make a fuss over this incident, the government will be less inclined to approve that minimall in your backyard without telling the public a decision is coming. No one who ever met Craig Van Schyndle doubts that he will make a great chief. He's the kind of man you want in that position. That's why the commission's illegal secrecy over the selection makes so little sense. Congratulations to the Sturgeon Bay Police and Fire Commission. Tim Herlache is also a great choice. And the way the selection was performed shows that someone "gets it." Bluhm is editor of the Door County Advocate and former managing editor of The News-Chroncile. His column appears Tuesdays. Contact him via e-mail at [email protected] or call 920-743-3321.