What is AFSCME Trying to Hide?
Government performance reviews should remain available to the public under Freedom of Information laws.
This letter to the editor in today’s State Journal-Register about our effortsto maintain government performance transparency in the face of anti-sunshine legislation hits the nail on the head:
What is AFSCME trying to hide?
John Guidroz’s article regarding public employee union opposition to the release of employee reviews struck a chord.When someone is hired as a public sector employee, that person should expect transparency in everything he does, including his performance evaluation.
All that a public service worker does should be open to scrutiny, including his performance. If his performance is above average and beyond reproach, it should be made public. If his performance reveals that he is dismally incompetent, it should be made public.
While it may be true that public service employees “are struggling every day due to a lack of resources,” I cannot help but wonder how many public service employees are performing to their full potential.
I cannot help but wonder whether AFSCME and the other unions objecting to the release of this information may be engaging in a smoke-and-mirrors exercise in an attempt to hide inequities and abuses in the current performance evaluation system.
The requests under the Freedom of Information Act are legitimate and should be honored.
In fact, I would go one more and suggest that our governor should veto House Bill 5154 and instead issue an executive order that all public employee evaluations, including our elected and appointed officials’ records, be posted on the state website for all to see. Only then can we have true transparency in the public sector.
Enrique J. Unanue
Springfield