I have always believed our elected officials, at every level of government, should serve the people with honesty and integrity. That our core values and principles should reflect the desire to do what is right for the constituents we represent. This includes being held accountable for decisions made and ongoing challenges we face as a community. We should strive to find common ground and real solutions to these challenges to build a stronger future. This is the fundamental reason I ran to represent the people of East Lewis County in District 3.
Unfortunately, there are those in our community that seek to undermine collaborative efforts and stifle open dialogue to debate potential economic development opportunities and solutions to significant problems. People who readily use social media platforms to spread unsubstantiated rumors, false information, and slander individuals for political or ideological gain. During my ten months in office, I have seen this type of behavior escalate, bringing greater division and distrust to our community. The efforts of these keyboard warriors and their extensive public records requests have taken substantial time and resources away from doing the work the people expect from their government.
Recent misinformation and slanderous accusations have centered around the potential for hydrogen fuel manufacturing and other critical energy production technologies to take the place of TransAlta as the coal-fired power generation era comes to a close. The demand for electricity and fuel technology is rapidly increasing, and it will take multiple innovations to meet these demands. We should be wise and look at all options carefully, engaging in rigorous and respectful discussions to insure the best decisions are made for the people of Lewis County.
As a member of the Economic Alliance of Lewis County, representing county government, I have been asked by these individuals to provide a copy of the simple non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that every board member signs to safeguard business interests and prevent board members from benefiting from insider information. The following text is this agreement in its entirety:
“As a Board Member of the Economic Alliance of Lewis County (EALC), you will hear and participate in discussion that the EALC considers being confidential. Names, organizations, companies, contact information, and individuals that you come into contact with, and have possession of certain proprietary information or client files and personnel materials are confidential. No reference to clients or to this confidential information, except in pursuit of work to move projects along and with the consent of the client or board, shall be made to anyone without written consent of the client, or the EALC board chair.”
“Board members will not either during or after board service with the EALC, disclose to those not confidentially bound to the EALC, or use for their own benefit, any of the EALC's proprietary information without written consent from the EALC.”
This agreement is not intended to hide anything from the public, yet it has been used for baseless allegations of corruption, “good ol’ boys club”, “pay to play”, and “follow the money” slogans from our social media elites. This rhetoric does damage to our community and discredits many of the outstanding leaders who are working to create a better future. I would welcome these individuals, members of the public, and our media organizations to have open public discussions, on these or any topics concerning our community. This should be done face to face, not behind the screen of our electronic devices. Let’s get back to working together to solve critical issues instead of creating division and distrust. The people of Lewis County deserve better.
Scott Brummer is a Lewis County commissioner representing District 3.
