Governor's actions are a ray of sunshine

Gov. Gibbons could not have chosen a better time to emphasize openness in government.

It's Sunshine Week, a national campaign to emphasize open government and freedom of information, the very characteristics that make our country a shining beacon to the world. And while journalists organize Sunshine Week, its motive is to preserve the very ideals the Founding Fathers built this country upon.

Nowhere among those ideals is that the people should blindly trust their leaders. Rather, we must know what our government is doing, both at the local, state and national levels. While the trend toward secrecy on the national level is troubling, there have been noteworthy developments at other levels. Even in Carson City, for example, the Supervisors have agreed to hold some of their meetings in the evenings so that residents will have a greater opportunity to attend.

And at the state level, we have Tuesday's announcement that the governor signed an order designed to ensure more public access to the state budget, contracts and other financial data. He said he wants the public to have "the same information that I have."

That's a monumental and encouraging statement from a man who went to court last year to keep proposed agency cuts concealed from the public until they were made final.

The goal of complete transparency is a good one, even if it takes years to achieve.

Gibbons has taken the first crucial steps, and if he is true to his word, the public will soon have access to an ever-increasing information about state finances and spending.

And everyone will benefit from that.

• This editorial represents the view of the Nevada Appeal Editorial Board.