Where Hamilton County Commission business is concerned, we believe the more transparent the better.
But Chairman Chester Bankston seemed to be making the case during the Hamilton County Commission meeting Wednesday that where the selection of a new member for the Hamilton County Board of Education is concerned, transparency wasn't such a big deal.
The District 9 commissioner said the commission as a whole would not interview applicants for the District 3 seat, which was to be vacant when Greg Martin resigned his seat to take a seat on the commission, which he won in a special election last week.
"We'd have to make a public announcement if more than one of us was meeting," Bankston said. "Any commissioner can interview any of the candidates any time they make available."
What's the big deal? Make the public announcement, then hold public interviews. That way, all applicants, District 3 residents and those interested from other districts will be privy to all official public conversations between the applicants and the commissioners.
In the three previous school board vacancies, the commission has gone three different ways.
When Charles Love resigned his District 5 seat in 2005 after pleading guilty to federal extortion and bribery charges related to his work as a lobbyist, commission members publicly interviewed 14 candidates who applied. The following week, then-Commissioner William Cotton held separate interviews with each candidate. After a pitched battle of tied votes over several weeks, Jeffrey Wilson was appointed.
When Debra Matthews died shortly after being re-elected to her District 4 seat in August 2008, the election to fill her post was placed on the November ballot when it was determined Tennessee Code did not require a special election. In November, George Ricks was elected by 10 votes.
When Everett Fairchild resigned his District 3 seat due to ill health in 2012, Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Beck and at least one of the candidates called for a public process, but commissioners eschewed that for a public forum. Subsequently, Martin was selected for the seat.
On Wednesday, Bankston suggested anyone interested in the candidate selection could go to another candidates forum, which would be hosted by an unidentified "committee" on Nov. 28. He said he'd give commissioners more details when they became available.
The forum, where commissioners can interact with applicants and audience members can submit questions, turns out to be one co-hosted by Friends of Hixson and the Hixson Kiwanis Club and tentatively scheduled for Hixson Middle School from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
What will be said in applicants' one-on-one conversations or meetings with commissioners - what promises will be made or loyalties sworn - we'll never know. And we should. The whole process should be public.