A cleaner virtual twin has replaced the smoke-filled backrooms of yesteryear where political deals were cut. It's called electronic mail.
Just as their predecessors did, the new digital backrooms are damaging the discourse so essential to democracy.
E-mail, unlike paper mail, exists only as electronic vapor. It's easy to compose and send, and may not be seen by anyone but the recipient. That's the problem.
In a public meeting this week, Ketchum Mayor Randy Hall trumped testimony from hotel developers and their supporters with the claim that he had received a lot of e-mail opposing a five-story hotel on Main Street.
Council member Baird Gourlay also said he had received a lot of electronic messages—both e-mail and voice-mail—opposing the hotel.
During a hearing on downtown building densities last year, Gourlay told a crowd largely supportive of higher densities that its members should hear the messages opposed to higher densities that had been left on his voice mail.
Gourlay was right. The public should hear voice-mail messages he receives as a member of the City Council. And he should be the one to play them—in public.
The public also should be able to read all e-mail received by the mayor and members of the City Council on matters before them. Just like paper mail, e-mail should be made part of the public record.
Public debate on important issues is not debate if supporters on one side hide while others offer public testimony—only to be trumped by secret comments from secret individuals known only by the public officials who get the secret comments.
E-mail messages sent to elected officials are no different than paper letters. They are public records under the law and should be available for all to see.
It's time the public demands that Ketchum's mayor and council members cough up e-mails and recorded voice messages they have received on city matters.
To do otherwise will foster distrust, discourage public debate, and leave the public in the dark.
