Columbia County fights back against 'government transparency advocate'

DAYTON—Columbia County is just one of many Washington government entities that received a Public Record Request from self-proclaimed ‘government transparency advocate’ Eric Hood.

The state Public Records Act requires that state and local agencies disclose all records to the public unless the law specifically exempts them. Agencies must reply to requests within five business days to give an estimate of when records will be available and later provide a log to explain any redactions or exemptions. Agencies are allowed to charge for the actual cost of providing records.

According to documents fil...