Should Idaho keep university president finalist names secret? | Opinion
As a journalist, the last thing I want to do is argue for more exemptions to the public records law.
Idaho already has plenty, and from my personal experience, too many agencies abuse and mis-cite the public records law to deny information that should be public.
But the Idaho Legislature quietly passed and Gov. Brad Little quietly signed Senate Bill 1225, which changes public records law to keep secret the names of the final five candidates for university president.
Previously, the names of the five finalists were made public.
Under the new law, which goes into effect immediately, only the name of the sole finalist will be made public.
I’ve heard from one source that candidates fear losing their current jobs if it’s made public that they applied for another job. Bill sponsor Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Nampa, said candidates have withdrawn their names out of such fear, “and we have seen this play out in real time in the search for Boise State’s president.”
As you may recall, Boise State University has been looking for a new president for nearly a year, after former President Marlene Tromp announced in March that she was leaving the university to take another job at the University of Vermont.
Boise State began a nationwide search and, by August, things were looking good. The presidential search committee reported it had received 54 applications for the job.
But by October, the search had stalled, and the presidential search committee reported to the State Board of Education, “While the search process generated significant interest and qualified candidates, the committee does not, at this time, have five such finalists to present to the Board for consideration.”
The committee recommended extending the search. We’ve heard nothing since.
This new law might reinvigorate that search. (Lawmakers might also help the search by refraining from engaging in political interference with the public university system, which makes Idaho an unattractive place for a university president to set down roots.)
The law sailed through the Legislature, and was one of the first laws enacted this session. Only one legislator from both chambers voted against the bill: Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise.
He sent me an email explaining his reasons.
First, he wrote, the Judicial Council, for example, releases the names of those who are applying to be district judges or appellate judges, and those recommended to the governor are named publicly. So, too, should university president finalists.
Second, he wrote, he was disappointed in the State Board’s lack of transparency when it came to the ill-fated University of Phoenix purchase, and the board’s reluctance to release information reinforced his view that open meetings and open government are a priority for him.
Finally, Gannon said he took issue with the governor’s letter to state agencies earlier this session to alert the governor’s office any time they receive a request for information from legislators and coordinate with the governor’s office before responding to the request.
“I have less trust in closed processes as a result of the letter,” Gannon wrote to me.
I get that, and I’m as leery of closed government as anyone.
But I also understand that sometimes disclosure causes harm to the taxpayer — whom the media is supposed to represent.
In this case, if the law is keeping good candidates from applying, that has a negative impact on Idahoans. This very well may be a situation in which secrecy benefits the public.
Regardless, I have a very strong suspicion, now that the law has passed, we’ll see the search for a new Boise State president resume very shortly.
Scott McIntosh is the opinion editor of the Idaho Statesman. You can email him at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com or call him at 208-377-6202. Sign up for the free weekly email newsletter The Idaho Way.
