There can never be too many watchdogs when it comes to government.
Our newspaper prides itself in serving that role in our communities, and we love to see the people in those communities take an active role themselves too.
That concern was on full display in a discussion at the Jan. 25 Athabasca County council meeting about council time sheets and mileage claims. Multiple councillors spoke about a lack of clarity on claims and how that could land council in hot water. Coun. Larry Armfelt cited vigilant citizens who go through council expense claim forms as people councillors have to keep in mind.
Council subsequently advanced a discussion about a new policy that would more clearly outline how councillor expense claims should work. It goes to show the power of motivated citizens who are willing to give their time to hold our governments to account.
We commend those citizens who try to keep close watch over government. The importance of citizen watchdogs to good governance cannot be understated. Local councils depend on citizen feedback, but they also need to have a healthy respect for their citizens’ ability to call out any wrongdoing. That respect helps ensure councillors do their job well with citizen concerns in mind.
This watchfulness is something we could always use more of in our communities. Democracy depends on citizens engaging and watching their government constantly, not only at election time. Even with good governments, it is important to maintain constant vigilance over them lest our politicians become too complacent.
Being a watchdog does not come without sinking time, but that investment is worthwhile. We all already invest in our governments with our tax dollars. Keeping engaged in governance is how individuals can work to protect that investment. We would be remiss not to track where those dollars are going.
Journalists serve the role of trained watchdogs, but we are more than happy to have help from responsible stakeholders in holding our governments to account.
The bigger the pack, the louder the bark.
