Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Editorials / Opinion


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced
Quick links: Traffic | Movies | Restaurants | Today's events | Video | Photos | Blogs | Forums | Newspaper delivery
Contact us

Ed cetera

Join the informed, opinionated journalists of The Times' editorial staff in lively discussions at our blog Ed Cetera.

Blog Home | RSS feeds Subscribe | About the contributors


Joni Balter


Lance Dickie


Bruce Ramsey


Kate Riley


Lynne Varner


Ryan Blethen

November 6, 2009 at 4:24 PM

Comments (13)     E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Costly lesson on open government

Posted by Lynne Varner

The state Department of Social and Health Services has agreed to pay more than $500,000 for failing to turn over public records requested by the public. It is an expensive but important lesson about the perils of flouting open records laws.

DSHS admits it withheld records requested by two women and a teenage girl suing the state claiming they were physically and sexually abused by their foster father. Agency officials say the requests were not intentionally ignored, blaming instead faulty records-request tracking systems and inadequately trained staff.

The agency that probably spends more on litigation and settlements to victims than any other governmental arm just learned another expensive lesson.

E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Comments (13)
Costly lesson for whom? Was anyone fired? No, it simply came from the taxpayers in order to cover for the malfeasance of the management.  Posted on November 7, 2009 at 12:19 AM by readallover. Jump to comment
Maybe you can finally blame those in charge for this Lynne? You know those who have been in charge for over two decades. The same ones who hire...  Posted on November 6, 2009 at 8:34 PM by Dowdevil. Jump to comment
I disagree with Lynn. A large part of the problem in all stages of our Government - The waste and ineptitude in Seattle is a prime example - is...  Posted on November 7, 2009 at 10:18 PM by linux. Jump to comment
Read all comments / Share your thoughts

Recent entries

Nov 20, 09 - 3:29 PM
Round one: Washington out

Nov 20, 09 - 12:46 PM
Sarah Palin goes 'rogue'

Nov 19, 09 - 5:13 PM
Cogswell's Screed and the Seattle Left

Nov 19, 09 - 11:21 AM
A world of ''isms''

Nov 18, 09 - 7:39 PM
Mammograms, Part Two

Advertising

Advertising

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
  1. 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
  2. Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
  3. Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
  4. Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
  5. Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
  6. Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
  7. Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
  8. Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
  9. Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
  10. Husky Men's Basketball Blog | Saturday's Pac-10 games in review
  1. Vikings easily beat the Seahawks Comments135
  2. Child-support error costs nearly $21,000 Comments129
  3. Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities Comments123
  4. Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle Comments122
  5. Cutting through breast-cancer confusion Comments90
  6. Prosecutor requests life in prison for Amanda Knox Comments89
  7. Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle Comments88
  8. Game thread Comments70
  9. New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law Comments65
  10. Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors Comments54
  1. 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
  2. Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
  3. It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
  4. Washington state wines make annual best-of list
  5. Banff: powder, peaks & purity
  6. Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
  7. Protect yourself from baggage loss
  8. Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
  9. Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
  10. Northwest Living | On Whidbey, a unified home from multiple recycled parts

Advertising

Browse the archives

November 2009

October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

July 2009

June 2009

Blogroll
Blog roll

Achenblog by Joel Achenbach
Andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
Antagonistic Ink
blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail
Blatherwatch.blogs.com
Daily Democracy
Meganmcardle.theatlantic.com
Postman On Politics
thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com
Volokh.com
www.antiwar.com
www.crosscut.com
www.economist.com
www.forbes.com
www.freepress.net
www.horsesass.org
www.journalism.org
www.mediaaccess.org
www.nationalreview.com
www.reason.com
www.seattle.indymedia.org
www.soundpolitics.com
www.techcentralstation.com
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.theamericancause.com
www.washblog.com