OPINION: These politicians are not looking out for you

If you think Idaho politicians are looking out for you by pulling a requirement that they publish public notices with the state’s independent newspapers, we’ve got some Florida swamp land to sell you.

At issue is House Bill 166, the second attempt to emasculate public notification requirements this year. It cleared the House Thursday by a narrow 36-32 margin and now heads to the Senate.

Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston voted no.

Reps. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow, Kyle Harris, R-Lewiston, and Charlie Shepherd, R-Pollock, voted for it.

Let’s be frank: This is meant to further undermine your ability to hold government accountable by a political class that no longer fears you.

Obstensibly, this measure phases out the practice of state and local government — as well as private parties — publishing notifications in the local newspaper of record — both in print and online.

In its place would be government-run websites.

Here’s the elephant in the room: The business model for newspapers is broken and a new one has not been devised. Any loss of revenue to Idaho’s 11 daily and 21 weekly newspapers is going to push some of them over the edge.

That’s just fine with a group of politicians who long ago escaped the kind of journalistic watchdogging that was prevalent a decade ago. They operate behind closed doors. They answer to dark money.

The idea of an expanding news desert across the Gem State is just fine with them.

Even in communities where independent newspapers will survive, this new model is fraught with peril.

Start with the basics. Public notification is meant to inform the public about what their government agencies are up to — especially before a decision about a zoning change or an environmental assessment is pronounced at a public meeting nobody knew about.

How is that process served if the same people making the decisions are responsible for publishing what they intend to do before the fact? Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse. Many of these folks are well meaning, but inherent in this idea is a temptation to hide the ball.

When a legal notice is published in a newspaper, it’s permanent. It can’t be changed or erased.

Do you trust a government official not to change content on a government website or server on a whim?

Instead of relying on a long-held, court-recognized local publication in each community plus the current database — idahopublicnotices.com — citizens would have to seek out information, presumably if they know what to look for on a website to be maintained by the state controller’s office.

That’s assuming robust access to the internet across the state — and that a group of aging citizens who have never been comfortable with technology will suddenly do so for the benefit of this endeavor.

And consider this: How many times have you heard politicians — especially those within the GOP — complain about government competition with private enterprise? You can’t have the state investing in storage units if that undermines private ownership. You can’t have government involved with real estate if it affects a private landlord.

But when it comes to government assuming control of what had been done by private newspapers since 1911, the rules are changed.

Who benefits?

Not the taxpayer.

This measure assumes that by taking over the responsibility of public notification, government will save $2 million — split between state and local entities — after outlaying $570,000 in one-time investments and $300,000 in ongoing yearly operating costs. In other words, the taxpayer will pick up costs now paid by private groups — such as developers and businesses — that pay 61% of the overhead.

That’s a rounding error in state and local government spending.

For instance, in the Nez Perce County market area, it translates to a net savings of 31 cents per resident.

The savings for a Latah County resident would come to a whopping 18 cents.

So don’t be fooled. This isn’t about helping you. It’s about further restricting your ability to find out what these people are doing in your name and with your money.

Fall for this latest act of self-serving political mischief and you’ll regret it. — M.T.