I recently saw a glimmer of light in one of your Sunday editions. State Sen. Thom Goolsby, R-New Hanover, who two years ago filed Senate Bill 412, a proposal that would have made violations of the public records and public meeting laws a Class 3 misdemeanor, is at it again.

The bill failed two years ago but Goolsby is going to raise the issue again. This bill could help bring about a more open government, and a more honest and responsive government to the public’s concerns.

For local government officials, this is their chance. They say they want transparency. Supporting Goolsby’s bill will bring about transparency. This would be a good time for county commissioners and city council to draft a resolution of support for the bill. Hopefully, it would be passed and become a state statute. The openness in government the bill would bring about would help eliminate the public’s perception of conflicts of interest and backroom dealings.

Elected officials should support this bill because the truth can’t hurt, can it? They should show the public they truly want transparency in government. They should draft a resolution of support for the bill.

ERNEST ASKEWSFlbElizabeth City