Editorial: Keep rolling on videotaping

The Oak Harbor City Council shouldn’t lose its momentum in support of the proposal to start videotaping its workshop sessions and other city committee meetings.

Nearly all the council members have voiced support in one fashion or another since the proposal was made earlier this summer. But do we sense some equivocation? In a recent meeting several council members raised questions about the costs of videotaping, and Eric Gerber made a bizarre reference to recent “bad experiences,” as if that’s the only reason the videotaping issue came to the foreground.

In fact, videotaping more meetings for broadcast on Channel 10 is the strongest action the council can take to promote open government, better government, and a better-informed citizenry. The council chambers may not be full every time the council meets, but hundreds of citizens catch all or parts of the meetings on Channel 10. It’s the best outreach project the council has ever undertaken, and now it’s time to expand upon the effort.

The issue is scheduled to come up for a vote in October, and city staff is charged with coming up with a fiscally prudent proposal. We can’t imagine why anyone would vote against it.