Last week, many of the county’s political leaders and residents were stunned to learn that yet another district voting bill was about to be brought before the General Assembly.

Currently, all five county commission seats are at-large, meaning that all voters in Fayette County can vote in elections for each and every seat. While the official bill has not yet been dropped, district voting would only allow voters to vote for the seat established for their particular district.

Was this information released at a press conference or in a press release sent to the media?

No. The only way people discovered this information was in a small legal notice published in the county’s legal organ. The Citizen has been trying for weeks to obtain a copy of the legislation, but the request has fallen on the deaf ears of Rep. Virgil Fludd (D-Tyrone), who is the sponsor of the bill.

Another stunned group is the Fayette County Commission. It would only seem natural that the body who could see its way of being elected dramatically change would be consulted on the issue.

Instead, the County Commission was left out of the conversation entirely and is trying to get the message out that they oppose such a dramatic change.

In 2006, another district voting bill was rebuffed, thanks to the efforts of Rep. Dan Lakly. If the current bill makes it out of the House, it would probably die in the Senate, but that is not the central issue of the discussion this year.

Regardless of the political merits of the issue, this is not how business should be conducted in the county. Instead of using an exclusive approach to try and shove legislation down the county’s throat, a more inclusive approach would be far more welcome.

We have advocated openness in our local governments, and now it’s time for Rep. Fludd to get the message and operate in the sunshine, instead of trying to sneak the bill past an unsuspecting public.