In today’s El Paso Inc., there’s a story about an improper redaction by somebody in the office of our omniscient City Attorney Sylvia Borunda Firth.
El Paso Inc. received copies of Romero’s disclosure forms that the city attorney’s office provided to [blogger, candidate, and civic activist] Jim Tolbert after redacting or blacking out information concerning his wife’s employer and occupation.
The word on the street is that Mrs. Romero works for the company that runs City Manager Tommy Gonzalez’ public speaking gigs. I can’t confirm it, but the guy who told me isn’t prone to exaggeration or lying. It sounds too good to be true, and vice versa.
That’s the big story. But, perhaps equally relevant, how could that redaction have happened?
An assistant city attorney who asked not to be named said she was speaking for Firth in saying that a staff member confused about the law had redacted copies of the disclosure forms sent to Tolbert.
“We made a mistake,” she said, adding that city attorney’s office will send unredacted copies of the documents to Tolbert.
Is she, that “unnamed city attorney” who is only “speaking for Firth,” so ashamed of this load of bullshit that she wants to distance herself as far as possible?
Why isn’t the default presumption of this “staff member” in this situation to release all the information?
Keeping secrets comes from a culture of telling lies. If you’re playing the game straight, you’ve got nothing to hide.