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When will we find out if Christiansburg is going to take recent Freedom of Information Act violations as seriously as some of the citizens of the town take them? During recent candidate forums, candidates have laughingly referred to errors made and laws violated, avoided comment or acknowledged there are some problems that need to be addressed.

I sincerely hope town officials take this quite seriously because without open government we can no longer have a government that is by and for the people. Whether things are done behind closed doors or in private meetings that should have been brought into the sunshine is a very serious issue for votes in the May 6 election. However, what is more important than the facts in this instance is the perception.

The town manager, mayor and council's failure to take legally required steps has fostered fear and suspicion and done significant damage to the public trust.

There has been one step taken, a proposal to have the legal firm representing the town develop and implement a FOIA training program for the council. Note, this is the same legal firm that has watched the town violate these same laws for years. Perhaps they had advised the council of the error of its ways and those concerns were brushed off. I doubt that we will ever know what happened.

One candidate has stated someone will be assigned the responsibility of making sure FOIA guidelines are met. While this is a way of delegating authority, it is also a way of abdicating responsibility. Ultimately, we need to hold elected officials responsible for both their actions and their failure to act.

A 2006 report by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government noted that businesses actually use FOIA to get information at a faster rate than journalists are using it. How can we believe that current council members, most of whom are either active or retired businessmen, did not know the laws when FOIA is part of the core concepts of their businesses? I am offended by what that implies as to my intelligence. Businesses use FOIA to get information all the time.

Whether you choose to believe this is just oversight on the part of the town manager, mayor and six council members or a deliberate move to avoid complying with the law, there remains the question of why? What is hiding behind the failure to notify the public of decisions about how tax money is spent, how zoning change requests are processed, how the budget is handled and many more issues? What things have happened that would not have occurred if the FOIA had been followed in all instances where it is required?

Where do we go from here? The council should open its FOIA training to all interested individuals. Let the citizens have an opportunity to know what they have a right to expect from their elected officials. If nothing else, tape the training session in its entirety and make it available to the public.

This would also serve to educate the public on what they have a legal right to request and could prevent the frustration that occurs when someone asks for something and is told no. Knowledge is a powerful tool and can stop many instances of misunderstanding that lead to poor citizen participation and ineffective communication.

It is past time for open government in Christiansburg. Know your rights and exercise them. Learn about the Freedom of Information Act and vote on May 6.

Carol Lindstrom, of Christiansburg, owns the Cambria Toy Station.