Patriots Point must open up

The Patriots Point Development Authority cast a split 3-3 vote this week on a proposal to erect a monument to South Carolina's secessionists, following extensive discussion. Unfortunately, the public had virtually no opportunity to hear what Authority members had to say about the matter.

The Authority went behind closed doors for a lengthy executive session under what was described by its attorney as an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act allowing for discussion of negotiations toward a contract. It was the second time this year that the Authority has done so on this matter.

The Authority would be better advised to have its discussions in public. The Patriots Point Development Authority is a public body, and its museum is on property belonging to the state of South Carolina.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans had proposed erecting the monument at private expense for the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Ordinance of Secession and wanted the Authority to provide land for it. The 3-3 vote apparently kills the plan.

The SCV views the signing of the Ordinance as an important historical event, akin to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Its historic importance is unquestionable, though not viewed charitably in all quarters. Critics contend an event undertaken in support of slavery and instrumental in triggering the Civil War doesn't deserve a monument.

The matter was scheduled to be discussed in open session this week, but the Authority went into closed session at the request of SCV representatives, who joined the board behind battened hatches for more than an hour.

Jay Bender, attorney for the S.C. Press Association, says the latest closed-door session is a clear violation of the state's Freedom of Information Act. Mr. Bender says the section of the FOIA that allows for discussion of contract negotiations is narrowly drawn to allow a public body to determine its position regarding a contract.

"The whole reason of the provision is to allow the public body to discuss its negotiating position," Mr. Bender tells us. "There's no reason to let the other side in on it."

Sons of Confederate Veterans spokesman Jeff Antley tells us he asked for the closed session to have a candid discussion with the Authority on the monument. He noted that the SCV was left out of a previous three-hour closed-door session on the issue in February.

The place for candid discussion is in open session. As a public body, the Patriots Point Development Authority should recognize the impropriety of cavalierly closing its meetings to the public.

Unfortunately, it's not the first time during the last year that the Authority has shut out the public. Recall that several members of the Authority board met last April without public notice to ask for the resignation of then-executive director Gen. Hugh Tant.

Subsequently, the board convened to accept the resignation of Gen. Tant in a meeting that did not follow the regular meeting schedule and was not held at the normal location.

The SCV's proposal was a straightforward matter that deserved to be dealt with openly. The public had a right to hear the discussion. Indeed, the Authority would have been well advised to hold a hearing so members of the public could make their views known.

Patriots Point faces a multitude of problems, and its governing board should recognize that the good will of the public is essential to its success. Shutting out the public erodes confidence in the Authority's leadership and could jeopardize its ability to meet the many challenges ahead.