It’s one of those stories of hypocrisy. The politicians who run for office on family values and get caught committing adultery. The ones who espouse free market principles are the ones giving handouts to businesses that fund their campaigns. And elections officials sworn to impartially administer elections—the foundation of democracy—are caught meddling with electoral procedures to suit their own political agendas.

Such is the case in the matter of whether Jefferson County’s new planning and zoning ordinance will be put to referendum. For months there were self-righteous claims that releasing the names of petition signatories would circumvent democracy.

Now, with the release of emails between petition-drive organizers and the Jefferson County Clerk’s office, it’s becoming quite clear that the clerk’s office was more than an objective signature counter. The staff of County Clerk Jennifer Maghan’s office was, in effect, a party to the signature drive itself.

The emails, released to The Observer June 30 as part of its suit to have the names of petitioners revealed, display a shocking level of effort on the part of the clerk’s office to ensure the success of the petition drive. Coverage appears on Page 4.

Our concern has not been whether or not a referendum would be held or if voters would approve it. Rather, our concern has been if closed door shenanigans have been used to get zoning measures on the ballot.

We have not been alone in these concerns. In fact, we have been urged to pursue disclosure of petitioners’ names even by people who oppose the ordinance.

One reader was actually afraid someone had added his name to the petition without his permission. That’s how much distrust there is for the clerk’s office. That’s why the names must be made public.

For months now, County Clerk Jennifer Maghan has been saying, in effect, “I’m here to protect democracy. Trust me.”
With the disclosure of these emails, it’s now clear, we can’t.