(Editor’s Note: Mayor Mary Olson submitted this to the Record in response to an editorial in last week’s paper.)

After reading the editorial in last week’s Marion County Record and report of the Marion City Council meeting, I felt the need to respond.

Open government has been one of my main concerns the past four years. The five-person governing body — the city council — can only discuss city business as one body during regular meetings. Otherwise, the Kansas Open Meetings Act would be violated. KOMA does allow, in the case of the city council, two council members to discuss city business outside the council room, but as soon as a third member is involved, it becomes a serial meeting.

On Oct. 18, Councilman Steve Smith called me to ask about one of the executive sessions. I told him I was unable to give him any information because Councilman Bill Holdeman had discussed a personnel matter with me Oct. 14. I explained if we did discuss the matter, I believed we might be having a serial meeting. Therefore, I felt it would be better that he wait until all five members were hearing the concern at the same time.

This is what I think Smith was referring to when he asked information about the sessions be put in our meeting packets. City Administrator David Mayfield has told me on the day of the meetings that he didn’t have information on the day of meetings about some of the executive sessions because it was something Economic Development Director Doug Kjellin was handling or when City Attorney Dan Baldwin was giving the council updates on legal matters. Both are times he may not have as much information to give me and I thought it better to get the information from the person asking for the executive session.

In all cases, it is important that all council members be given an opportunity to hear the same information and ask questions. And in all cases, privacy of matters dealing with personnel or city legal business is required. This calls for executive sessions to ensure this privacy.

I agree with Councilman Smith, in most of these matters, the involved parties should be informed. I try to discuss matters with those involved before meetings and ask for executive sessions. At the beginning of each meeting, I ask for corrections or additions to the agenda. It was at this time Smith could have asked that executive sessions be added to the agenda rather than try to argue the way we were informed about the sessions as he did Oct. 18. That is also why I abruptly cut off Councilman Chris Meierhoff’s reply.

It was only a few short weeks ago the council was criticized about the amount of time we discussed some subjects. Again, the council room is the only place all five council members have an opportunity to hear the same information and ask questions for all to hear.

Personally, I would be more concerned if the council seemed to have all of the information given them outside the four walls of the council room. Therefore, I would ask for some patience and trust as the council members are acquiring information from the staff or another source before any action is taken.