The public policy issue that hits me in the heart the hardest as a journalist is transparency. I love what public records teach me about elected leaders and the agencies they lead — transportation departments, universities, public schools and other publicly funded service agencies.

That’s why Washington’s recent passage of SB 6617 incensed me so much. The bill essentially exempts state legislators in many ways from the state’s public records act.

As the Seattle Times suggested, I wrote to Gov. Jay Inslee to ask for his veto of this arrogantly conceived bill. I also dropped a quick note to Sen. Keith Wagoner (from my district) to thank him for his opposition to this bill.

Here is my letter to the governor:

Gov. Inslee,

I am writing to ask for your veto on SB 6617 — the government secrecy bill.

Sir, I have spent my career in journalism and communications. I’ve witnessed that most voters start from a place of trust with their elected leaders. They believe these people have their best interest at heart. Nothing evaporates that trust faster than the belief these elected officials are hiding something.

Allowing state legislators to arrogantly exclude themselves from certain aspects of the open records law will do just that.

How can voters make informed decisions about their representatives if they don’t have access to their legislators’ records?

Without access to these records, voters are left without key facts, forced instead to draw conclusions about their elected representatives from that person’s press releases and their opponents’ smear campaigns.

Our democracy is too precious for that.

Again, I ask you to veto SB 6617. Please stand up for real transparency and don’t merely pay it lipservice.

Thank you for your service to the state of Washington.

Matthew Zabel