No matter the weather, Pennsylvania will have more sunshine in 2009 with the state's new Right-to-Know law. But there won't be as much light as possible.
Unlike the law that's been on the books for 52 years, the new one rightly is based on the premise that most government records are open.
Thus, the legal onus is on state bureaucracies, county and local governments and school districts to prove that a record should be withheld from the public.
Anyone denied access to government records will be able to use the offices of Terry Mutchler, a lawyer and former reporter appointed to a six-year term as director of the commonwealth's open-records office.
Mutchler, who is hiring six staff lawyers to help her handle what's expected to be a heavy caseload, should be able to help the public hold the government responsible.
But considering that the law includes 30 wide-ranging exceptions and has only limited applicability to the Legislature and the state's judicial system, transparency and accountability could remain rare commodities.
The sun should have set on the dark ages of this cryptic commonwealth's secrets long ago. And as welcome as the Right-to-Know law is, too many clouds remain.
