L&T Publisher Earl Watt
The Seward County Commission spent valuable meeting time recently discussing yours truly.
How did I become the topic of discussion?
I asked questions.
Journalists ask questions of government officials every day. Locally, I routinely talk to elected officials and administrators of various entities.
Sometimes those questions are about tough topics.
In 34 years at the paper and 26 of those as publisher, never has anyone asked me to fill out a Kansas Open Records Act request to receive information.
Until now.
Seward County Administrator April Warden and I had been exchanging emails as I tried to ascertain the data that would corroborate her statement that Seward County has or will cut 18 positions as a way to save the county money.
I have been provided data from local citizens that have questioned that statement. Some of that data has been provided to me in extensive payroll reports obtained from the county by Carolyn Huddleston with Open Records requests.
To be fair, I reached out to Warden to give her a chance to provide information that would indicate her number was accurate. If cuts have been made, especially 18 positions, then the overall payroll of the county should reflect a decrease from 2024 through August to 2025 through August.
But I didn’t get the total payroll. As a matter of fact, what I got was a statement that was a shocker.
“There are several factors that can cause payroll costs to vary and you cannot just look at the payroll data for 2024 and the year-to-date-information you have for 2025,” Warden wrote in an email response. “I have tried to explain we have retirees, we have PTO sell backs, we have transfers, we have terminations, we have had some bonuses, we have new hires (constant turnover) ...”
All of which is boiled down to payroll. How much did we pay for staff in 2024 compared to the same period in 2025? Just give me two numbers. All those factors will be reflected in dollars of payroll.
Any business or operation with employees can easily provide a total payroll number. The software used to run payroll in almost every case has a button to choose a pay date range and will generate the number.
But Warden disagreed.
“If you are wanting an exact number that is not possible,” she typed in her email. “There are variables I have pointed out, and I will not be held accountable to an exact number that cannot be provided.”
How do you respond to that?
Of course a total number of payroll expense is readily available. But instead of simply providing the data, I received an email accusing me of defaming her and questioning her integrity.
What I did was quote Warden’s statements at a public meeting, and I am skeptical of what was said. That’s the role of the media, to question those in positions of authority and ask for data that will back up their claims.
It happens all the time with elected officials and government staff and representatives. The Constitution guarantees that right as redressing the government for grievances.
As far is integrity, I’ve never questioned whether or not Warden or the Taxing Trio on the commission thought they were doing the right thing. But that is a subjective condition. I can disagree on whether or not I believe it was right. I can also question whether or not interpretation of statutes says proper action was taken, and I wholeheartedly support any effort that allows the people to override their elected officials by vote.
Differences of opinion as well as questioning the accuracy of public statements are protected, necessary, and I will fight for your right to know.
As the official paper for Seward County, we publish legal notices. By law we charge the lowest rate.
We also try our best to accommodate the various county departments in helping get those published in a timely manner as some come in after deadline.
I have routinely required our staff to put aside other duties when a notice comes in after deadline and work with the county to get those notices printed even though they are late. We have even held the printing of the paper, because I have always had a good working relationship with the county and understand the importance of this.
In other words, I have bent our own rules to accommodate the county. Ask our front office staff how often that occurs and they know not to even ask me, because I will tell them we will get the late notice in the paper.
When Warden was going to require me to fill out requests rather than provide me the data out of professional courtesy, I informed her that I would comply, but that we would also expect the county to comply with our deadlines as well, and that we would no longer run late legal notices on behalf of the county. Also, we do extensive work at no charge resizing and adjusting what we are given to make it legible and understandable to the public. Those services were provided by us out of professional courtesy. But since Warden has chosen not to extend professional courtesy because of requests for information, which have not been numerous, we will simply treat the county as we are being treated.
Seward County Clerk Stacia Long informed the commission at a recent meeting that Open Records forms are not required to receive public information.
In fact, they are a protection for the public to compel reluctant officials.
Should professional courtesy be extended to us, we will do the same.
