OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Godspeed, Paul

I've written previously about what each of us leaves behind that makes this troubled world a better place than the day we arrived.

The late Paul Smith, who artfully managed the daily machinery of this and other WEHCO Media newspapers for many years, intuitively understood that everything he did for others was all that would be remembered of his life, while all he achieved for himself would be buried with him.

That's just what happened in Paul's case, as evidenced by several news accounts of all the good he did. That includes friends and members of his church who publicly praised the capable, honorable and kind person he was during his 76 years among us.

All that acclaim for simply being a man of principle and his word provides a parable for each of us living a fulfilled life.

While heading investigations for the Arkansas Democrat between 1982-86, I made it a point to regularly visit Paul's office whenever I needed reliable advice. His office door usually remained open.

In his comforting, easy-going manner, he'd always make time to listen, then offer positive suggestions. I came to feel great esteem and affection for the man mostly because of the personal time and sincere interest he showed in me.

See how that works, valued readers? He genuinely cared about me, which only made me care even more for him. Multiply that a millionfold.

Godspeed, Paul Smith. You were a Godsend who left behind a better world for us all because of the man you were and you are in a far better place because you did.

Bad legislation

If all goes as scheduled, the state Senate Committee on City, County and Local Affairs will convene today to determine the fate of SB567, a terrible piece of proposed legislation involving transparency from coroners that would further damage our state's once-vaunted Freedom of Information Act.

Seems there are always those determined to steadily erase what once was considered the nation's finest sunshine law.

Robert Steinbuch, a professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen Law School, has closely followed SB567. And, in a manner one capable of teaching closing arguments to wannabe barristers, he refers to it as "worse than a train wreck."

He says SB567 seeks to gut the FOIA obligations of county coroners. "This newspaper has devoted pages of coverage during only the last year to critical exposés involving covid-19 super-spreader events and child endangerment schemes.

"All of this public-safety reporting was possible because of information garnered from coroners' currently open records. None of this would've happened without the FOIA. Much of the newsgathering was challenging [enough] under current law, given the remarkable disregard by some coroners for current disclosure obligations.

"The Association of Arkansas Counties' [AAC] perverted view of good government is to eviscerate all of this. Well, maybe it's less a view of good government and more a notion of successful cronyism."

Two years ago Arkansas created a bipartisan blue-ribbon task force charged with evaluating all proposals coming before the legislature that impact the FOIA, said Steinbuch. "Their statutory mission is to decide whether to give the imprimatur to any attempt to alter Arkansas' shining beacon on the hill, its much envied transparency law enacted over 50 years ago. Through appearances before the FOIA Task Force, the AAC repeatedly demonstrated its rank antagonism to government openness."

As such, he contends, the AAC also laid bare its actual intent to advance the interests of entrenched bureaucrats at the expense of hardworking Arkansans. He said Arkansans should consider how "county bureaucrats take your hard-earned money blithely siphoned out of your paycheck and divert it to this private association.

"Then this group of highly paid lobbyists--the AAC--drives their Cadillacs to the Capitol, stopping at Doe's Eatery for a 2-inch porterhouse, to lobby overworked and underpaid legislators to reduce the level of transparency that county officials must provide to the public.

"You can't make this up. It makes the apocryphal Hazzard County seem like a Harvard Business School model of efficiency by comparison. ...

"To further demonstrate the lack of concern for openness embodied by the AAC, when it came before the FOIA Task Force and presented what's now SB567, the AAC crossed out the name of the bill's sponsor as well as the name of the attorney at the Bureau of Legislative Research who engrossed the language."

Steinbuch said he couldn't help but notice the obvious irony.

"Look out, AAC. We can see clearly now what you're up to, and we'll be on the lookout for more of your efforts to undermine good government and citizen oversight."

The piecemeal shredding of our law that preserves our right to understand government will continue until we the people cry, "we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!"

Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.


Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.

Upcoming Events