Press release
Wednesday, May 26, 2021Contact: George Erb, coalition secretary, geoerb@seanet.comJuli Bunting, coalition executive director, info@washingtoncog.org
Port Townsend Leader honored for story from public records
SEATTLE – The Washington Coalition for Open Government has honored Editor Brian Kelly and the Port Townsend Leader for their use of public records in revealing problems at the Fort Worden Public Development Authority.
Kelly’s story reported, “Public records recently released by the authority detail an agency in turmoil, gripped by infighting and a lack of leadership as the PDA struggled for months to keep its financial head above water during the early months of the coronavirus crisis.”
Kelly and the newspaper were presented with WashCOG’s Key Award, which is given as a way to honor outstanding effort and key contributions in promoting and defending the people’s right to know.
WashCOG board member Fred Obee said, “Files received in a public records request and the reporting that followed exposed behind-the-scenes maneuvering, extreme mismanagement of public resources and possible criminal behavior at the Fort Worden Public Development Authority in Port Townsend.
“The records showed an organization that lost confidence in its leadership, but was reluctant to act while still praising that leadership in public,” he added.
Obee, who is executive director of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, said, “The use of the Public Records Act once again proved extremely beneficial in pulling back the curtain on the mismanagement of an important public agency.”
Juli Bunting, Washington Coalition for Open Government executive director, said the story is a great example of using public records to expose practices by public officials that otherwise would be kept quiet.
“Brian Kelly and the PT Leader have done an excellent job using our state’s transparency laws to inform citizens about what is happening in their community,” Bunting said.
WashCOG is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes transparency at all levels of state and local government. Read the Leader’s story at Records detail internal turmoil, AWOL leadership as PDA faced bankruptcy.