Thank you for your recent editorial regarding the Open Public Meetings Act and the importance of e-mail communications between public officials on matters related to public business.

I would also like to thank Jodi Warren and city officials for her foresight on this issue, and the Valley Record for emphasizing the importance of this issue.

The evolution of technology has made written communication between individuals, whether personal or business related, subject to scrutiny. Although disclaimers can be placed on e-mails, there is no telling once an e-mail is sent, who it may be forwarded to.

Public officials need to understand that e-mails between them are considered matters of public business and are no different than having a meeting behind closed doors. In some cases, e-mails regarding matters of public business are considered public records and can be requested via a public information request.

If you ever have a concern about a matter that interests you, I highly suggest making a request for the e-mail information associated with the topic. You may be surprised by what you find. In some cases, you may be surprised at how much business is actually conducted, planned or strategized behind “closed doors” (or, in this case, computers).

Laurie Gibbs

Snoqualmie