ARCOLA, IL. (ECWd) –
Mr. William D. Coombes, Arcola Township Clerk, in a recent letter to the local newspaper, entitled “Township Officials Are Available To Answer Your Questions” stated that “My office is fully transparent” and it kind of makes me want to ask him to define what he thinks transparency is. It is obvious he has a different definition of it than the rest of the Township.
Black’s Law Dictionary defines “transparent” and “transparency” as:
1. Action, procedure or method with no hidden agendas, transparency in word and intention.
2. A lack of any hidden agendas with all information being available.
3. Required condition for an open and free exchange.
So, Mr. Coombes, which definition do you subscribe to? It is not clear.
With so many of your recent actions designed to thwart transparency, please explain:
-Do you even know how many vacation days have been taken and how many remain unused?
-Why withhold information related to vacation days of your employee?
-Why withhold credit card statements?
-Why withhold the credit card receipts that show a four-state Harley-Davidson cruise?
-Why withhold cell phone statements?
-Are you trying to hide something?
-Are you still shredding public records without approval?
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Your last sentence in that letter was “What is the question and who deserves an answer?” While I appreciate your “offer” to answer should anyone include their name with the question, I think it was an attempt at flushing out the person behind the unsigned letter you referenced. So, in the interest in openness, the questions are above, and I am the one asking for the answers. No, I am not the person sending unsigned letters around town, and I don’t even know what the letter said, but since you offered an answer to questions I included them above.
