A few pages away from a clear argument for more sunshine and less secrecy in government, readers of the Uptown paper of record find an account of the possible replacements for Jim Black that omits some important info.
Reporter Jim Morrill does not mention that East Meck assistant principal Tricia Cotham is the daughter of long-time Democratic Party activists and fund-raisers. Her father, John, served as county party chairman for a stretch in the early 90s and mother Pat currently runs the Uptown Forum.
I have had East Side residents tell me they believe this gives Cotham the inside line to Black’s old seat. I do not know if that is true, just as I do not know if Cotham actually benefits or is hurt by the association with the local Democrat power structure.
But the general point of sunshine in government is getting as many facts as possible in front of the public and let them decide what is important. To my knowledge, the Observer has yet to report on Cotham’s background.
This suggests a decision has been made that info is not relevant, or more likely, should not be relevant to the choice at hand. Could be. But such thinking is the exact opposite of sunshine in public affairs.
