Successful government leaders show trust for people

Everything I learned about openness in government I learned years ago from Jim Barker, former Salt Lake City commissioner. After morning commission meetings, he welcomed reporters to his office, and, often leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk, freely answered all questions they had. His secret — he understood that government belongs to the people and put his trust in them. It was refreshing to see an elected official who trusted reporters to use their professional judgment in what they reported.

He was a strong advocate for citizens making their voices heard and the one that encouraged people from the Central City neighborhood to make their case for what is now the Central City Community Center. His door was always open and, while he was opinionated, he welcomed the debate and had the humility to admit when he was wrong.

Most important, he had the ingredient found in successful leaders — the willingness to risk.

Today, we talk about openness and accountability but see it erode before us. The belief that our public institutions belong to the public now rings hollow. More and more, it seems taxpayers are seen as intruders at best, and the enemy at worst. The only time we are reminded we own the government is at tax time. Citizens now have less respect and trust in their government than ever before. And it exists at all levels, federal, state and local. For instance, we now see the feds not wanting to share information about the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, and the state with the recent troubles at the Department of Corrections.

Some administrators managing our bureaucracies act as though the department belongs to them, rather than to the public. They look upon questions by citizens as an intrusion upon their domain, and the questioner is seen as a troublemaker. Rather than being candid about their shortcomings, some administrators stonewall answers with the public; and when forced to respond, they do so with endless excuses or a flood of paperwork. Driving dedicated public workers is their fear of failure and being punished by lawmakers eager to show their power and find scapegoats when there is a breakdown in government. Administrators, in their defense, then carefully follow the policy manual.

Our government is suffering from a crisis of leadership at all levels; be it Congress that refuses to fix immigration laws or state leaders merely tinkering with education while failing to restructure it for today's economy. As a consequence, a culture of the fear of failing has permeated our government.