Over the last year incompetent leadership in high places has been denounced bitterly in both the private and public sectors. Across the nation calls for better oversight and regulation are increasing and the interest in transparency in government is growing.

As a political issue, “sunlight” is gaining traction.

In this case “sunlight” means ordinary citizens being able to see the inner workings of their government. It means making it easy for anyone to go online and see records of what decisions government departments make, and how they spend money.

Other than to hide something potentially embarrassing, what good reason does any public official have for denying taxpayers access to such information?

Given the trouble with money governments and financial institutions have had in recent times, calling for more scrutiny seems more practical than radical. Hey, since the government already watches us all the time, why shouldn’t we be able to watch it?

Today’s technology makes it possible for City Hall to open itself up to scrutiny via the Internet. If Richmond wants to do it, this city could allow the taxpayers to follow their tax money through the machinery of government to where it gets spent. Ordinary people could see how much goes in and how much comes out. They could see who gets that money, too.

Perhaps Justice Louis Brandeis (1856-1941) put it best: “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

So, why can’t any Richmonder look at a map of the city with every property publicly owned highlighted? Why can’t that map be interactive, so one could click on each property and see how long The City has had it, what it’s worth and how it’s being used?

Richmond owns the football stadium south of Carytown. For years it has leased that facility, with all of its acreage to the University of Richmond for a dollar a year. Since the university has been taking care of the grounds that may have been a good deal for the owners of that land, the taxpayers. Or, should Richmond have sold off that primo property ten years ago? What’s it worth?

How many other properties owned by The City are being used with similar sweetheart deals? Perhaps, more important, how many properties are not being used at all?

As it is now, if you look at the City of Richmond’s web site for answers that sort of information is just not available. If you call and ask for such a map, with the data about the properties listed above, it’s likely you’ll be told you need to file a Freedom of Information Act request.

In other words, the departments of The City that have that information in hand have been told by policy-makers to make it difficult for an ordinary citizen to get a handle on how Richmond manages the property it owns. While that doesn’t necessarily mean anything dishonest is going on, doesn’t that attitude need to change?

As new as this notion might be to some readers, it’s been bubbling in the blogosphere for some time. One noteworthy step has already been taken toward more citizen oversight of routine government business. Waldo Jaquith, one of Virginia’s best known political bloggers, launched a website a couple of years ago to track bills through the General Assembly. It’s called Richmond Sunlight.

Now Richmond’s Mayor Dwight Jones has the power to make a savvy move that would put him in a good light. He could tell one and all, including employees of The City of Richmond, he is going to break with the old style that depended on keeping John Q. Public in the dark.

Yes, Jones could turn his back on yesterday’s cloistered way of doing the people’s business. Richmond’s new mayor could call a press conference and say, “Let there be sunlight.” Or, Jones might call no press conference.

Like his predecessor, he can go on clinging to yesterday’s routinely paranoid way of running a government that wanted as little kibitzing from taxpayers as possible.

Whatever Jones does with this aspect of serving the people who elected him, “sunlight” is a political issue that is only going to get bigger. Young voters are going to demand it, because they understand it is feasible. All of which means that from now on smart candidates for public office are going to be hip to the attractiveness of this growing interest in openness and scrutiny.

As a campaign issue, advocating more transparency into government’s handling of money and its properties is eventually going to get politicians elected, whether they are liberals or conservatives.

Is time on your side, Mayor Jones?

Note: Reprinted from a June 22 article at Richmond.com. by F.T. Rea