Author: Anonymous

With regard to the Fairfax County proposal to redevelop the South Reston Park and Ride there has been a great deal of discussion by the county of the need for affordable housing in the county.  A very solid case can be made for that argument, but it ignores even more important issues.

We should reflect on the role of openness in a democratic society. As citizens of a self-governing nation, we are charged with the responsibility to understand, monitor and evaluate the policy judgments of our elected representatives. We elect our Supervisors to make decisions on our behalf. But they are answerable to "We the People." This means not only that “We the People” get to vote every couple of years, but also that we have a right to know what our representatives are up to.

Excessive government secrecy is the enemy of democracy. Secrecy cripples public debate. Citizens cannot understand, monitor, and evaluate public policies if they are kept in the dark about the actions of their both their elected representatives and the staff that they employ and oversee.

Excessive secrecy is also the enemy of competence. We make better decisions when we consider more rather than fewer perspectives. We make better decisions when we openly debate the alternatives. We make better decisions when we know we have to justify our judgments and know we will be held accountable for our mistakes. Secrecy undermines all these values. Such an approach to governance weakens our democratic institutions and leads to a distrust that erodes the foundation that democracy is built on.

It is understandable that those in power are reluctant to share information. Who in authority would want to enable others to second-guess them? Why would they want their mistakes exposed? Those in power always believe they should have carte blanche to make the decisions they think best, without interference. "Trust us" is a perfectly logical demand from the perspective of those who hold the reins of power.

But in a self-governing society, when those in authority say "trust us," we are in peril. The American constitutional system is premised on distrust of those to whom we delegate authority. Separation of powers, checks and balances, staggered terms of office, a bicameral legislature, and judges with life tenure, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are all premised on distrust of those in authority who say "trust us."

Excessive secrecy is also the enemy of competence. We make better decisions when we consider more rather than fewer perspectives. We make better decisions when we openly debate the alternatives. We make better decisions when we know we have to justify our judgments and know we will be held accountable for our mistakes. Secrecy undermines all these values.

I urge the Board of Supervisors to take seriously some of their underlying values in evaluating the “unsolicited” proposal that is based on a law that, perhaps inadvertently, undermines the basic tenets and foundations of democracy and representative government.

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