 |
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
 |
Democrats retreat into secrecy, obscurity
© St. Petersburg Times Since Republicans took over the Legislature in 1996, Democrats have had trouble learning how to be a minority. (Republicans haven't done all that well at being a majority either -- but that's a story for another day.) The Democrats were getting a little better until Rep. Doug Wiles, D-St. Augustine, took over as minority leader in the House this year. Wiles has decided to take them into hiding. They have twice retreated into secret meetings since being sworn in last month, locking out the public and reporters while they do whatever it is they are doing. By retreating into a private room, they are following the lead of party chairman Bob Poe, who kept holding secret sessions as he tried to save his job. (Poe announced Thursday that he will resign Jan. 4, just barely escaping a public beheading.) It's a strange way to get a message out. And it didn't work for Poe either. We can't tell you what went on behind those closed doors when House Democrats gathered to commiserate at Wakulla Springs Lodge at a state park south of Tallahassee this week. They refused to let reporters in. They tell us they were discussing their terrible showing in the Nov. 5 elections and ways to rebuild the party, but they also were passing out issue papers outlining all the problems the state is facing. Are we to believe that they met for an entire day and never discussed the most important issues facing the state? In the eight years since since Republicans gained control of the Legislature, much of what we know about the Democrats has emerged from their own meetings. It is the only place Democrats have had much of a voice. Now that the Democrats have only 39 of 120 members in the House and 14 of 40 in the Senate, maybe it doesn't matter what they have to say. But every majority needs a competent minority if our system of government is to work at all. If your county commission or school board were meeting in secret, it would clearly be illegal, but legislators write the laws and rules that affect them. For many years they exempted themselves from all of the state's public records and meetings laws. Former Attorney General Bob Butterworth and a few others started talking about a new constitutional amendment that would force lawmakers to conduct the public's business in public. Legislators rushed to find a compromise, a weakened constitutional amendment that would make it look like they were complying with the same law that applied to the rest of the state. It passed, but left the actual drafting of the rules to each chamber of the Legislature. You can guess what emerged: watered-down rules that still allow them to meet in secret under some conditions. House rules allow the public into any meeting with three or more members if it was called for the purpose of agreeing to take formal legislative action on pending legislation or amendments. Many times it is a "find us if you can" game they play with reporters who cover the Capitol. Generally speaking, lawmakers let reporters into the boring meetings and hide when the going gets tough. That's obviously what the Democrats are doing nowadays. But I would suggest that it does not serve them well for the long haul. If they only have meaningful discussions behind closed doors, how will we ever know who has good ideas or what alternatives they have to offer? And those who grow accustomed to meeting in secret may never be able to tolerate the light of day. By hiding, the dwindling number of Democrats in the Legislature merely make themselves even less relevant. They might as well go home.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
Times columns today From the Times State news desk |
