OUR VIEW: An apology by the CSE to Culpeper Town Council

» Wednesday’s “Our View” should have been updated to reflect that council met in open session.

We’ve got some egg on our face, and we need to wipe it clean.

In yesterday’s staff editorial, we wrote that council members discussed the issues of water, sewer and town expansion in closed session. In fact, they did not.

The matter had been advertised to be held in closed session, but at Tuesday’s specially called meeting, council voted 4-3 to have talks in the open. We applaud that decision and regret that incorrect information on this page confused readers. Our editorial, written in advance of the meeting, should have been changed to reflect what happened.

For that, we apologize to council and our readers.

Kudos to councilmen Chip Coleman, Steve Jenkins, Chris Snider and Billy Yowell for voting to go into open session — that’s exactly where discussion needs to be. Say what you will about Jenkins — he of the controversial stance on illegal immigration — but when it comes to open government, he and a few others are staunch defenders of keeping you informed.

The issues of water, sewer and town expansion are of major importance to all residents of Culpeper, whether you live in the town or county. It’s also an especially relevant topic for commerce and the general growth of our community.

As each month goes by, more and more details will be hashed out — often at relatively mundane meetings of local governing bodies — and it’s imperative that the public knows how its elected officials are handling the matter. Holding as many meetings in open session as possible is a big part of that process. It’s refreshing that the town and county are aiming to do just that.

We understand the concerns of those on council, including Mayor Pranas Rimeikis, who feel more can be accomplished — without all the public scrutiny — behind closed doors. But that shouldn’t be how government operates.

While going into closed session can promote efficiency and is allowed by law under certain circumstances, in this case it would have fallen under a gray area. Council was right to err on the side of caution and allow the sun to shine in.