I don’t know what I don’t know.

That’s what I promised myself to keep in mind after I left city hall.  Municipal decisions would look and feel different to me once I was on the outside.  As I made my own judgments as many citizens and pundits alike do, I have kept that in mind.  I no longer have inside baseball.

Transparency is vital to our democracy, but that doesn’t mean that citizens are privy to all information that leads to decisions or the formulating of municipal policy.  Much of what I don’t know, for example, includes but is not limited to confidential matters like risk management, legal advice, discussions with the government, proprietary information, and human resources matters. 

Further, I do not have, nor do I now enjoy access to professional or skilled-trades advice.  I am not an accountant.  I am not a heavy equipment operator. I am not an engineer.  I am not a lawyer.    When I was at city hall, these professionals and skilled tradespeople did influence and inform my opinion and decisions.  I received responsible advice that led to my decisions and recommendations to elected officials.

Today, I am not privy to confidential matters, nor do I have professional advice informing my opinions.  That now makes it different for me. 

Those that write letters to the editor or those who write posts on social media are often intelligent and well informed, indeed they may be professional or skilled tradespeople themselves.  But they don’t know what they don’t know.  They are not privy to all the information that leads to decisions. 

This does not mean that the government is not transparent.  Nor does it mean that those who opine publicly are not intelligent, nor that they have nothing to offer to influence policy or decision-making.  And they do indeed have the right (many might say responsibility) to opine publicly.  In fact – such opining is necessary to solid decision-making and the formulation of public policy (I know that elected officials are highly sensitive to public opinion). 

There are missing pieces.  I remember reading rational letters to the editor, and thinking: this is well-crafted and thoughtful, but they don’t know what they don’t know.  If they knew, for example, about our confidential blue-widget problem, I’m sure their opinion would be different.

When I look at decisions by public bodies, I always check myself.  I don’t know what I don’t know.