City's hiring policy needs to be open

Transparency is a pretty word that people in public service like to throw around to show they are one of us, that they are working for every member of the general public.

Most find it’s a lot harder to “walk the walk,” when it comes down to handling new situations, “gray areas” and issues that are just plain uncomfortable.

One way to truly live transparency, we believe, is to be prepared for these ethical issues before they arise.

While a public figure certainly can’t anticipate every possible scenario, they can start by drawing lines they won’t cross.

They can develop as an individual, and as a board or a committee, a firm understanding of why they would close a meeting, as well as why they would not.

With a clear picture not only of Missouri’s open records law, but what it means to them, they will be much better prepared to make decisions in difficult times, we believe.

Early in March, the Poplar Bluff City Council held a closed meeting vote regarding whether they should allow the general public to apply for the city clerk’s position or only current city employees.

This is a very important job, tasked with protecting the public by overseeing a correct record of city business. It is also one of the better paying jobs in our community, with an annual salary in recent years of at least $70,000, plus additional benefits.

We, and the Missouri Press Association attorney, believe the Sunshine Law required this to be a public discussion and vote.

Some with the city disagree that the law was violated, or would use the term “technicality.”

Let’s put aside the question of what they were required to do under the law, and ask what the council, or any public body, should do in this situation.

First, we find it ironic that a discussion about the public’s rights was held in closed session.

Second we applaud the decision to open the posting to members of the public.

We also think the council should consider these questions: Should the city only post it’s job openings for city employees? Or should all members of the public be allowed to apply for these taxpayer-funded jobs?

We believe city job postings should always be open to everyone.

We believe this should be a formal policy of the city, to ensure the best candidate is selected. We know that there are many qualified and incredible employees already working for the city, but it would also help the public feel more comfortable that a fair and thorough process was conducted. Especially for leadership roles like city clerk.

We also believe it would show our city council can “walk the walk.”