CLEVELAND, Ohio -- James McCafferty and Martin Zanotti, the two most visible faces behind Cuyahoga County's transition to charter government, were on the hot seat this morning.
Dan Moulthrop, host of "The Sound of Ideas" (follow the link to listen to an archived recording of the show) on WCPN-FM/90.3, pressed the two -- with help from his skeptical listeners -- on a wide range of issues surrounding the changeover. The most interesting discussions centered on transparency and openness of the transition process.
When announcing a roster of committee co-chairs last month, McCafferty and Zanotti said news reporters and the general public would not be welcome at all committee meetings.
It was an eyebrow-raising statement, given that the form of government being replaced by the charter drew complaints for its secretive, backroom dealings. These committees, which will convene and operate with the support of the lame-duck county commissioners, will make a host of recommendations to the new county executive, who is not bound to accept them.
On the radio, Zanotti gave several reasons why he believes the committees must be able to conduct business behind closed doors. For starters, he thinks reporters could be a distraction.
"It's not that the public is not welcome, it's the practicality of getting work done," he said. "It's not practical to expect every single meeting to be open to media questions. There are going to be times that people are going to need to sit in groups of five or six and just get work done."
Another reason offered: Giving the public proper notice of all meetings is not feasible.
"Technically speaking," Zanotti said in response to a question from Moulthrop, "we don't believe the Sunshine Laws [state guidelines for open meetings] apply to us."
McCafferty has pledged to make minutes -- a general rundown of what is discussed at each committee gathering -- available on the county's Web site after every meeting.
Several callers worried about a lack of transparency and a lack of diversity among transition leaders. McCafferty and Zanotti are both white, but they cited black leaders such as State Sen. Nina Turner and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, both of whom will be committee co-chairs.
Boiled down to two words, the gist of McCafferty and Zanotti's message today: Trust us.