Local resident Joseph P. Thompson is a well-spoken
transportation lawyer, and some people may think he’s a pain in the
neck. I’m sure that several local officials, especially those
involved with the San Benito Council of Governments (COG), think
Joe is a pain in a place that is far below the neck.
Local resident Joseph P. Thompson is a well-spoken transportation lawyer, and some people may think he’s a pain in the neck. I’m sure that several local officials, especially those involved with the San Benito Council of Governments (COG), think Joe is a pain in a place that is far below the neck.
My wife calls people like Joe “terriers.” That’s because it’s a terrier’s nature to be energetic and tenacious when they set their mind to something. Joe Thompson has his mind set on getting rid of COG and the Local Transportation Authority (LTA). Not many meetings of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors go by without Joe presenting his case.
Joe says COG is an undemocratic organization performing functions that are the duties and responsibilities of the board of supervisors.  He also thinks that current public transportation policies are wasting untold millions of dollars for little return and that they fail to address our real transportation needs. If my explanations of Joe’s positions are incorrect, I’m sure he will let both me and you know about it.
Critics like Joe look for opportunities to express their opinions and obtain information to support their positions. However, Joe’s positions are not the subject of this column – the subject is much more important than that – as it’s about the rights of all citizens who want to criticize the government to get information and express themselves.
For politicians and public employees, critics can be an unwelcome annoyance. The reasons may be philosophical, political, personal or a combination of those. In some cases, the sore point involves direct financial interest. If the agency goes away, the job might go away right along with it. When I was working, I did not want my employer to go out of business or lay me off.
Government employees are the same way. Anyone who denies that is not to be believed – it’s just human nature.    
Therefore, it’s only natural that some of those under the gun may try, actively or passively, to stifle their critics. Yes, that’s not supposed to happen. But this is a column for grownups. And lots of things are not supposed to happen. 
Two obvious ways to keep critics at bay are to deny them information and limit their opportunities to express their opinions. The government is not the only entity that wants to quiet their critics. Private interests do the same, sometimes with SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) tactics. Those lawsuits are filed to intimidate and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of legal fees.
California, recognizing that information gathered by the government belonged to the public, not just employees or those holding temporary office, implemented the California Public Records Act. It grants citizens the right to access most government information.  This law also establishes strict time limits for government response to information request to prevent stalling.
Likewise, the Brown Act recognizes the importance of public input to the government meeting process. It requires the public be given an opportunity to comment on all agenda items before or during consideration; there is also time for comment on items not on the agenda.  Unfortunately, the public comment period can be severely limited.
The timely access to public information and the right of public commentary, along with the right to vote, are the pillars of our local democracy. Without them, it’s not possible to be informed or to exert any influence on government decision making. Joe Thompson aggressively guards his rights in these areas. In doing so, he guards those rights for all of us.
You may not agree with Joe’s opinions or care about his issues, and I’m not suggesting you should. Personally, I’d hate to be on the receiving end of his criticisms.
However, someday you may want to do some digging and criticizing of your own. When you do, you will thank your lucky stars that someone was willing to be a pain to assure those rights were protected for every citizen.
Thomas Jefferson said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
I’m sure Jefferson would have liked the way Joe Thompson keeps watch.
