Rather than fight with the press (see April 10's post), Seattle's City Council apparently decided on Friday to avoid any gatherings in small informal groups with the mayor's staff to discuss the budget. This does not seem to be a policy, just a temporary settlement. The significance is that instead of several members talking, now the budget will be discussed by each member with the mayor's budget staff, ad seriatim and ad nauseam. A wonderful waste of time, but never mind. Exaggerated and mistaken application of the Open Meetings law has led to lots of that over the years.
All that has happened is that the press pressure has added, temporarily, another layer of subterfuge for the perfectly normal and even desirable practice of (shhhh!) politics. Human beings who serve as elected officials still need environments where they can ask off-hand questions without being held up to public examination and to try out thoughts without being held to account for them in a public record. Just like editorial writers in their staff meetings, one might suggest.
All that results from these little episodes of fulsome press indignation is to make governing a bit more cumbersome. I hope the media will remember this the next time they accuse City Hall--here and elsewhere--of being slow to respond to public issues.
