Whatever, we just work here

The Lens:

The New Orleans City Council’s commitment to openness and transparency wavered a bit Thursday as it considered the process to fill the soon-to-be-open seat of Arnie Fielkow.

At least three of the seven council members wondered whether it is a good idea or necessary to make public the names of people who will apply for the position. State law says the applicants must be made public.

Fielkow has resigned, effective Oct. 1, and the council will appoint an interim member until an election can be held for a council member to fill out the rest of his term, which ends in May of 2014. At the meeting, the council scheduled an election for March 24; if necessary, the runoff will be April 21.

Councilman Jon Johnson expressed concerns that candidates “may have a situation” where they don’t want anyone to know they are applying for the position, and they do not want “the public exposure” of a public vetting.

He said publicly identifying candidates could be “scaring good people away.”

Fielkow said he, too, thought it was an “awkward situation to have them publicly vetted.”

Clarkson, who frequently points to her experience of more than 20 years in public office, didn’t know whether such applications or meetings had to be public. She asked for a legal opinion.

The council’s chief of staff said it was, indeed, required, and the council’s outside attorney concurred.

I know this is the kind of thing that makes people's heads hit their desks and elicits wails of "this fucking city" and such. But, me, I find stories like this reassuring as I can't imagine anything more frightening than a New Orleans City Council that actually knows what it's doing.