Requester says Bardin released public records

As The Olympian wrote on July 16, “In March 2014, Olympia resident Matthew Green requested all communications since July 1, 2013, between the planning commissioners and some local developers.” That was me, former City Council member Matthew Green.

Actually, my request was for any documents about official city Planning Commission business (note that carefully: official business) that might be on a commissioner’s personal computer. And I am completely satisfied that I received every document that should be released.

Now Jeanette Dickison (formerly council member Jeanette Hawkins) is demanding that planning commissioner Judy Bardin release a set of personal documents. Does Dickison understand what personal means? It means not public.

I’m sure that, when Dickison was on the council, she would have been appalled and outraged (and let us all hear about it) if someone had demanded all her personal files off her home computer.

What is this really about? Politics, obviously. Bardin is running for City Council. Dickison and her friends want to attack Bardin (and attack me as a fringe benefit) in order to protect their benefactors: the developers who would rather keep their conversations with city officials private, without all that pesky open government stuff.

I’m supporting Judy Bardin because, as a planning commissioner, she forced other commissioners to publicly acknowledge that they held secret meetings with developers. As a council member, she’ll insist that the city be open and transparent. Vote Judy Bardin.

Olympia

This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Requester says Bardin released public records."