Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

If it walks like a duck, it might be a duck

I love sayings. One of my favorites is about the duck. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck, you start to believe its a duck - even if everyone is telling you its a pigeon.

I hope my readers will indulge me for a moment while I weave a short piece of fiction.

Once upon a time, there was a small group of people who were charged with the responsibility of monitoring use of the sky. This group felt they were the only ones who cared about the sky, therefore they began to feel very important. After all, if they didnt protect the sky, who would? No one else really understood the sky and how it should best be used.

They covered the sky to protect it from prying eyes. Periodically, they met to share information about their huge responsibility. They rambled on about the complexities of their job but declined to share any real information.

One day, a young man who apparently didnt realize the full importance of the group and their task, asked if the sky was blue on a particular day.

Of course it is, the Great Wizard answered. Except that its never really blue. Well, it was blue but we fixed it.

The young man - not understanding the answer - asked the question again, and again. And each time, he got an answer that revealed nothing. Then the young man had the audacity to ask if he could see the sky for himself.

The Wizard declined. After all, if one person saw the sky, he could tell everyone what it looked like and the group would lose their power.

Back to reality.

I want to take this opportunity to say that Ive been welcomed into Prescott, and that Im quickly learning to love this community. That said, Ive worked in several towns around the state but I wasnt prepared for some of the issues Ive faced here. We have some officials who are quick to say theyre available, their offices are open, and theyre ready to answer any questions. But when citizens ask, they get a rambling answer that makes no sense, or they are downright denied the information.

I understand through the grapevine that at least some area officials have taken a stand and that theyve had enough. Good for you.

On the other hand, there are still officials and entire departments who think they have the option of whether to answer to the public. I call on the public to continue to be vocal. Just because theres no hot topic on the agenda doesnt mean you should stay home on the nights these entities meet. The public eye is necessary to remind public officials that theyre accountable to their constituents.

Im not going to go away. And as long as Im here, Im going to continue to demand access to what should be public information. Im going to keep asking - and reporting the results.

Im all about the bottom line, and here it is. I dont have any real indication that any local entity is hiding anything illegal. But the sheer failure to disclose information is illegal. Are these entities hiding something? They all say they arent, but if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck ...