The (Lewistown) Sentinel, Sept. 28

Newspapers must champion people’s right to know

Thanks to the efforts of The Sentinel and a request for information through the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act, the terms of a settlement in a civil lawsuit filed by the Mifflin County Board of Commissioners now are known. They are the subject of a Page A1 story by Senior Reporter Frank Jost in today’s edition. Jost — on behalf of The Sentinel and the citizens of Mifflin County — was compelled to file a formal request for information, after the commissioners voted Sept. 20 to settle the court action without publicly disclosing the terms of the agreement.

County of Mifflin v. McKonly & Asbury, et al., sought recovery of damages that resulted from an accounting firm’s alleged failure to discover the embezzlement of nearly $1 million. The funds were taken by a former county official, Sue Ellen Saxton, and her husband, Fred, from accounts managed by the Mifflin County office of the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts. The Saxtons were imprisoned in 2002. The former Mifflin County prothonotary was sentenced to serve up to five years in federal prison and pay more than $995,000 in restitution to the county, while Fred Saxton received a 15-month jail term for his involvement. Sue Ellen Saxton was released from federal prison in May 2006.

The Sentinel has followed this case since the Saxtons’ arrest more than five years ago. The details of this latest chapter are something citizens have a right to know. Thanks to investigative journalism and holding public officials accountable to the rules outlined in the weak, but still viable, state Right to Know Act, readers have been made privy to the terms of the settlement.

This is the year of the open record in the Keystone State, as the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, along with its member publications, conducts a statewide Open Records Challenge. It is an effort to encourage citizens to better understand the workings of government and gain a firsthand appreciation of how the Right to Know Law works in practice. The law has been harshly criticized by citizens, advocacy groups and the media for its loopholes, loosely written guidelines and failure to affect real change.

“Many Pennsylvanians aren’t sure how to file an open records request with their local or state government. Too often, they only find out how difficult the process is when they badly need information, and unfortunately, there’s a steep learning curve,” said Tim Williams, president of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

The quest for information in the county’s civil suit settlement illustrates why an open records law is so vital to the community and the public’s right to know. Without such legislation, news organizations such as The Sentinel, as well as the average citizen, would not be able to serve as a watchdog, a keeper of truth. Thankfully, people’s voices, and requests, are being heard loud and clear.

For more information about this issue, go to the PNA’s blog, www.passopenrecords.org.

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