{"id":30677,"date":"2011-07-27T07:57:56","date_gmt":"2011-07-27T13:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=30677"},"modified":"2011-07-28T08:32:24","modified_gmt":"2011-07-28T14:32:24","slug":"public%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98right-to-know%e2%80%99-isn%e2%80%99t-red-or-blue-%e2%80%93-it%e2%80%99s-evergreen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2011\/07\/public%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98right-to-know%e2%80%99-isn%e2%80%99t-red-or-blue-%e2%80%93-it%e2%80%99s-evergreen\/","title":{"rendered":"Public\u2019s \u2018right to know\u2019 isn\u2019t red or blue \u2013 it\u2019s evergreen"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Peter St. Cyr)<\/p><\/div>\n

Well, we\u2019ve come full circle. Five years ago, Bill Richardson\u2019s administration was asked for state e-mails about an audit of the driver\u2019s license program. It refused, claiming executive privilege, and the Republican Party of New Mexico filed suit.<\/p>\n

This year, Secretary of State Dianna Duran was asked for state e-mails about a similar audit \u2013 a cross-check between drivers\u2019 licenses and voter rolls. Duran\u2019s office refused<\/a>, citing executive privilege, and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has now filed suit.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a stunning parallel, and the bipartisan principles underpinning open government are rarely on such obvious display. Open government is not a tool of the left or the right, of Democrats or Republicans. It\u2019s simply a tool to hold powerful people accountable.<\/p>\n

It goes back to the old adage that information is power. Authorities always seek to control the message and the debate, and freedom-of-information laws guarantee that citizens can peer behind the veil and see what\u2019s really going on.<\/p>\n

As New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Daniels wrote in a recent opinion, \u201cIn order for government to truly be of the people and by the people, and not just for the people, our citizens must be able to know what their own public servants are doing in their name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entitled to the greatest possible information<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Sarah Welsh<\/p><\/div>\n

Both the Republican Party of New Mexico and the ACLU-New Mexico sued the government under the same state law: the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act<\/a>(IPRA). That law states its purpose plainly: \u201call persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of public officers and employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

In practice, IPRA forces government agencies to release documents that they would\u00a0rather hold onto. It\u2019s that simple. We don\u2019t need a law to force the release of records that make the current administration look good, or make its political foes look bad. Officials are always happy to release those documents. And without the rights guaranteed by IPRA, that\u2019s all the public would get \u2013 a constant stream of \u201caren\u2019t we great\u201d news.<\/p>\n

The drafters of IPRA knew that government officials would be suspicious of anyone wanting to see the bad news, or even the bald facts. We see this manifested whenever the political motives or moral character of people seeking public records are brought into question. The drafters also knew that the government would throw up roadblocks to prevent or delay the release of unflattering records. So IPRA has a few clear and straightforward guidelines.<\/p>\n