More than once I’ve been called a nosy little bird. I think it’s more accurate to say I’m a champion for transparency. More often than not the people who object to my snooping questions are politicians. No surprise, politicians and journalists have long had a love/hate relationship. They need us in order to forward their campaigns; they resent us for prying into the areas they’d rather not have us talk about.
Experienced politicians realize that bad press sometimes comes with the good. New politicians or those trying to enter the arena, don’t quite get it. I’m reminded about this during election season when political newbies express anger and confusion about something written about them that they didn’t approve. Welcome to politics, you’re a public figure now!
The best way to enter politics is to realize that once you file paperwork with your intention to run you’re fair game—and so is every skeleton in your closet. Embrace transparency and you’ll be fine.
According to some Lompoc residents, the city government there hasn’t quite learned the concept.
A cry for government transparency has been heard within the chambers of Lompoc’s City Council for many years. Occasionally it seems like the city’s officials have heeded that call, but until recently, there has been little to show for it.
At a March 15 City Council meeting when a resident called for government transparency, an amazing thing occurred: something changed. When Mayor Bob Lingl told the resident to make a formal council request, Councilman Jim Mosby had an epiphany. Saying that he too has had some difficult experiences in getting information from the council, he offered to host transparency meetings.
What an incredible concept! Informal, grassroots, town hall-style meetings with the public. It’s a move that’s long overdue but is sure to be a welcome one by the community. Especially with several hot topics that have been floating about the Lompoc universe lately, as Mosby is well aware. He said he suspects topics will include a proposal for a new fire station, which the council recently voted down, and Lompoc’s enterprise reimbursement study.
Not far from Lompoc, one government official used to living in the spotlight is moving on to exciting and tastier things.
Chumash Chairman Vincent Armenta resigned and will be spreading his wings in order to pursue culinary pursuits on the East Coast. While some may say he was a public official who wasn’t always forthcoming, he did handle his fair share of media scrutiny and community opposition. Like it or not, the man has taken the Chumash Casino from an itty bitty bingo room to an impressive casino and resort operation. I’m sure a change of scenery for a while is in order.
So with that we wish him au revoir, bon voyage, bon appetit, or whatever it is you say to a budding chef.
The Canary has some snooping to do. Send her a tip at canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 24-31, 2016.