Lycoming County commissioners took time at Tuesday’s meeting to stress the importance of transparency in government and freedom of the press.

Toward that end, they passed a proclamation to designate this week as Sunshine Week in the county.

The state Sunshine Act and the state’s Right-to-Know Law ensure the public’s access to government information through public meetings and documents.

Commissioner Rick Mirabito said it comes down to holding government officials accountable for their actions.

It was James Madison, he noted, who drafted the Bill of Rights, which included the guarantee of free press. Madison, who went on to become the nation’s fourth President, was born on March 16.

“In James Madison’s days presses were destroyed,” Mirabito said.

He said the commissioners strive to be transparent in conducting their business.

He urged the media to ask government officials, including commissioners, the hard questions to learn answers.

Commissioner Tony Mussare said the press must be allowed to do its job.

He talked about newsgathering as opposed to editorializing.

“What is press and what is opinion?” he asked. “I believe people are swayed more by opinion. It can divide our nation.”

Commissioner Scott Metzger said, “We want the people to have truth, not propaganda.”

He said he’s a public servant who answers to the people.

“The Sunshine Law is vital. We will continue to honor it,” he said.

Williamsport Sun-Gazette Publisher Robert Rolley said it’s critical to hold public officials accountable.

He thanked commissioners for making the proclamation, which noted the importance of providing residents with a fair, simple, no-cost method to appeal when a request for a public record is denied.

There is the presumption, the proclamation noted, that “all records in possession of government agencies are public records and must be provided to the public within the framework of the law.”