Christiansburg is not unique in struggling to provide open government. Since the 2004 elections, more candidates outside of established circles showed up.
Then and now, citizens wanted to know they were on a level playing field and that elected representatives would do their best for the community's long term health and welfare.
Slowly, more council members began pushing for more information. It was and is apparent some were deliberately excluded from receiving full information at the same time.
Few citizens showed up at public meetings because one, they didn't know when, where or what was going to be discussed. Two, the general community feeling was everything was already a done deal anyway.
This "control" of the public and elected officials was made possible by the town's inadequate web site and outdated Town Charter, Town Code and Comprehensive Plan. It was possible because certain elected officials tried to "go along to get along" or faced a hard slog in pushing for procedural changes or details (such as comprehensive staff reports, timelines or metrics).
In 2008, The Roanoke Times disclosed Christiansburg failed to comply with simple open government rules, known as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). After this public humiliation things began to change, a little, slowly. More people started watching, more started attending public meetings. Ultimately these changes appeared too frustrating for the Town Manager, who recently resigned.
Citizens elect who they hope will be the best person to represent them, expecting them to know more about everything that's going on and how it fits together for the betterment of the whole community. This means more than the few hours in public meetings each month, getting educated on issues for their own informed vote and to respond to citizen concerns. This means embracing the oath of office and laws, and ability to rely on the input of administration and legal counsel. Even with that expertise, the job still requires elected officials develop a deep understanding of Christiansburg's Charter and Code (even if these are outdated) and civic minded citizens should, too.
Open government requires full and timely disclosure of all details and facts -- to the public and to elected officials. Instead, it appears Christiansburg's past practices were to give the Town Manager free reign. The Mayor was simply a liaison between administration and "managing" elected council members. In Haymarket, this didn't play out too well.
As Christiansburg moves forward -- with November elections, new council members and a new Town Manager -- the opportunity for open government has never been brighter.