The wool gets pulled over my eyes every time a Chenango County government body goes into an executive session, and it’s happened dozens of times over the past four years I’ve reported for The Evening Sun.

On many other occasions, a committee chairman or department director has asked for my indulgence on matters discussed during the regular meeting, particularly when they involve personnel. I always oblige. An unelected employee’s personal life is really nobody’s business.

Unfortunately, my agreeable nature has not always led officials to, in turn, indulge me with honest reasons for going into executive session. In the case of labor negotiations or lawsuits, they never tell me what the subject matter is or who the complainants are, unless I first ask. Sometimes, especially if the county’s attorney is in the room, they actually refuse to elaborate. What’s worse, there have been times when the executive session ended, but I’ve not made it back into the room in time to hear the subject of a resulting vote.

Two recent and unsuccessful Freedom of Information requests I’ve made regarding labor negotiations and legal issues discussed in executive session leave me thinking I’m not ever really going to get to tell you where all of your county tax dollars were spent last year. The thing is, I find it alarming that surplus dropped from $16 to $12 million since the beginning of 2007, and I figured you might, too.