Politicians begin their careers insisting that they’re public servants advancing the public interest, but soon become entrenched incumbents eager to keep public matters secret from the very citizens they supposedly serve. A recent example of this desire to keep public matters from the public, itself, is to be found in Milwaukee County. There, Milwaukee County supervisor seeks to censure a fellow supervisor who revealed the embarrassing truth about perverse policies and patient abuse in that county’s mental health system.
Readers will recall that Behavioral Health Division administrator John Chianelli advanced a policy of mixed gender wards at the Mental Health Complex to trade male-on-male violence for male-on-female sexual assault. I’ve written before about Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health Division, and sexual assaults among mental patients at its Mental Health Center. BHD’s Director, John Chianelli, has implemented a policy of trading male-on-male violence among mental patients for male-on-female sexual assault.
I’ve posted about Chianelli’s policy, and the tragedy that is conduct at the MHC, before. See, A Milwaukee County Bureaucrat’s Immoral Utilitarianism, Update: A Milwaukee County Bureaucrat’s Immoral Utilitarianism, Update 2, Update 3, Update 4, Update 5, and Update 6.
Now, one finds that Milwaukee County supervisor Lee Holloway wants to censure a fellow supervisor, Lynne DeBruin, for revealing to the public they both serve Chianelli’s immoral remarks in a trade off between kinds of violence. See, Supervisor Target of Censure Attempt: De Bruin accused by Holloway of violating closed session protocol. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes the basis of Holloway’s censure motion:
Milwaukee County Supervisor Lynne De Bruin faces a censure attempt led by County Board Chairman Lee Holloway over her release of a letter and notes she wrote based on a closed-door discussion of patient sexual assaults at the Mental Health Complex.
Holloway’s resolution accuses De Bruin of “willful acts of misconduct” for divulging what he calls confidential information.
The move, backed by at least four other supervisors, highlights a thorny issue that Holloway and others have unsuccessfully fought to keep quiet, fearing potential lawsuits.
De Bruin’s move may inhibit frank closed-session remarks in the future from county lawyers and other officials, according to Holloway’s censure resolution.
The County Board judiciary committee is slated to review Holloway’s resolution Tuesday.
It says De Bruin’s disclosure was “a violation of a trust” and a “violation of closed session protocol,” but does not allege any law or ordinance violation.
Deputy County Corporation Counsel Robert Andrews said Friday he knew of no state law, county ordinance or County Board policy that bans supervisors from talking about closed-session topics.
The cold theory behind a confidentiality of this kind is that it allows a municipality to defend of prevent lawsuits more effectively. The cold truth is that it allows incumbents and bureaucrats to hide misdeeds and citizen abuse from citizens themselves. Far from saving taxpayers money by better defending against lawsuits, confidentiality like this undermines politicians’ and bureaucrats’ accountability for the injuries and abuses they inflict, thereby providing no improvement against future abuses.
This is how so-called public servants become self-interested incumbents and aggregate to themselves the recourses fit only for private parties. When these gentlemen contend that secrecy in public matters in necessary for the public good, what they really mean is that secrecy in public matters is necessary to conceal their failures, lies, abuses, and mediocrity. Suddenly men who are all insistent their about their public authority, and their role ensuring a better community, start talking about the need for private and closed discussion.
My own small town of Whitewater is rotten with this kind of hypocrisy. The bureaucrats who run Whitewater expect to meddle in any number of economic matters, and to inject the public into the private at a moment’s notice. There’s no commercial activity beyond their professed purview. And yet, if a citizen sues based on alleged violations of federal constitutional law, then suddenly a settlement in that case (six-figures!) should be a private matter, and kept confidential. I’ve contended that this sort of approach is wrong. See, Against Confidentiality in Municipal Litigation.
In that post, I offered seven arguments against confidentiality, and concluded that
Here is the clear test, the question of principle: Why should this public lawsuit, involving public officials, involved in the public exercise of their duties, be made confidential?
To each of the gentlemen involved on behalf of the City of Whitewater and its police department, this is the question that I pose to you. The defendants need not admit wrongdoing in connection with payment of settlement money. I am stunned, however, at the arrogance and audacity that causes the defendant to request that this public matter be hidden from view. It’s disgraceful that public employees and the City of Whitewater would request this unnecessary step.
Officials proclaim — at each and every opportunity — that their actions are beyond reproach. If that should be true, then why ask a court to make these public actions confidential and private?
No one in Milwaukee should be surprised that Holloway wants to keep secrets. It’s an inclination common to so very many career politicians and bureaucrats. Perhaps Milwaukee County residents might wish to remind Holloway of his own public declaration, on the Milwaukee County website:
Dear Citizens,
We enjoy a tremendous quality of life in Milwaukee County. Nineteen distinct municipalities make Milwaukee County the most populated, diverse and vibrant county in Wisconsin. Our county government is deeply involved in maintaining the quality of life for our citizens. From administering health care for the indigent to providing amenities like the Mitchell Park Domes, McKinley Marina and dozens of swimming pools and basketball courts, we are busy working for the people of this community.
Holloway works for the people when he wants to trumpet his accomplishments, but hides the truth from them when his county commits abuses and misdeeds.
Wrong, unjust, and yet, predictably so. No matter — Holloway’s far from being able to stop this story now. He can’t help, though, revealing himself as a selfish careerist as it unfolds.