Williams off to good start but transparency essential

Youngstown Mayor-elect Jay Williams' decision to fill seven important positions in his administration through a formal process that emphasizes qualifications is worthy of praise and support. What is most reassuring to us is Williams' desire to keep special interests and traditional powerbrokers at bay.
His creation of a transition team made up of individuals from "all walks of life" to evaluate the applicants -- they will be sought through advertisements in local, regional and national publications -- will ensure a thorough vetting of the individuals.
We have long believed that such screening committees are an essential ingredient for ensuing that government attracts the best and the brightest.
Secrecy concern
But while we applaud Williams for taking this approach in filling such important positions as police and fire chiefs and finance and law directors, we are concerned about his refusal to publicly identify the individuals who will serve on the transition team. He will only say that members will come from the legal, labor, faith, education, business and civic sectors of the community. While such a broad-based group is important and reflects Williams' belief that coalition-building is essential to good governance, we are puzzled by the desire of members to remain anonymous.
Government is most effective under the spotlight of public scrutiny. Anonymity breeds suspicion, -- just as closed-door sessions of public entities breed voter contempt.
A transition team may not meet the legal definition of a public body, but it certainly will be involved in the public's business. The appointment of a police chief in a city with one of the highest per capita homicide rates in the state of Ohio, if not the nation, is the single most important action Williams will take. The public needs to know how members of the transition team arrived at the finalists for the job -- and that necessitates knowing the identities of the members.
Personal experiences
It is unreasonable to expect anyone serving in such an important capacity to leave his or her biases and personal experiences at the door. For example, when Williams says the faith community will be represented, city residents have a right to know whether the representative is from the ranks of the 100 members of the clergy, led by the Rev. Jay Alford, who endorsed his candidacy in the general election.
Serving on a transition team for a history-making mayor -- Williams is Youngstown's first black mayor and the first independent to win in 80 years -- is a high honor and members should have no qualms about having their identities known to the public.
If they are worried about being subjected to undue pressure from outside forces, they should rest assured that a call to this newspaper will result in the exposure of the individual or individuals who have the nerve to undermine an objective selection process.
As the mayor-elect said on the night of his victory, a new day has dawned in the city of Youngstown. We agree, which is why we urge him to convey to members of the transition team the importance of operating in the sunshine.