Tropico Perspective:

I am a fan of open government. It’s ours, after all, and we should have access to pretty much any information we think we need to make sure it serves the public good. In fact, I would like to have a terminal in every public building that lets just about anybody dig around to their heart’s content for whatever dirt they can find.

However, when I am underwriting the cost for all of the those mid-level managers and administrative assistants to gather and sort out public information requests, I would like think I am getting some bang for my tax dollar. Some tangible value should come from the effort, or at least the intention of producing value.

If the only thing that results from this most recent request is a list and an online rant, I suspect we didn’t get our money’s worth.

With every right comes a responsibility.

I wonder how many miles are logged on city vehicles each year, broken down by department, fuel type and engine size.

Perhaps I can have someone count all of the trash cans on Brand — maybe twice as many cans emptied half as often would save a bundle of money. Just curious.

Apparently, basic curiosity is the bar for making these kind of requests.

To be clear, I am completely on board with surveying salary levels for government workers. Evaluating whether it is fiscally prudent to pay overtime as opposed to hiring more employees serves a valuable purpose.

So is ensuring that the salary level of a particular position and tenure is competitive with other jurisdictions and the private sector.

What has baffled me, however, is the need to put a name to each member of these $100,000 Clubs.

The fact that “Bob” is snapping up twice as much overtime as all the other firefighters doesn’t have much of an impact on public policy, but it does serve to embarrass “Bob.”

Does it serve the public good to put a name to the salary figure? Does it further the debate on public policy, or is it just mean? Are we going to picket “Bob’s” house?

Can we achieve the same public policy result by publishing the results of this kind of survey without naming names?

If we are able to shame enough employees about the level of success they have earned in their careers, we can cut positions and balance the budget by attrition.

After all, who wants to work in a city where they tattoo a big scarlet dollar sign to your head. If this is the goal of these kind of requests, its a pretty low road.

The one thing that these lists never actually address is the question they seemingly try to pose: Are they worth the money?

Why bother with comparisons to other municipalities or the private sector when we can set salaries in the arena of public opinion? Setting salaries on the basis of public opinion, though, isn’t good public policy.

As taxpayers in Glendale, we deserve to know how our money is being spent and why, including public-records requests.

Having the right to do something doesn’t make it the right thing to do.

Get in touch MICHAEL TEAHAN lives in the Adams Hill area of Glendale with a clear view of the Verdugo Mountains so he can keep an eye on things. He can be reached at michaelteahan@ espressoresource.com