As an editor, and citizen, one of my biggest pet peeves is when elected leaders and volunteers on public boards seem clueless about the power in the statement, “the public’s right to know.”

It’s not selective. You don’t get to just decide when and how residents and taxpayers can learn something.

After months of seeming to be civil, the Douglas County commissioners went back to their old ways with the two-member board majority deciding to pick another fight with fellow Commissioner Lora Thomas.

Thomas dared to question what the Douglas County Cultural Council is doing with money the commission gives the group each year. For educational purposes — it should be stressed — that money is taxpayer money, and the cultural council helps decide how arts and culture money should be spent . If a Douglas County resident off the street wants to know how it is being spent — public record laws require you to tell them.

So, you have a commissioner questioning it. Isn’t she elected to ask questions? Even if you don’t like her questions — she has a right as a resident to ask.

To the cultural council that seems overly sensitive about Thomas’ approach in asking — sure, I agree, you are all volunteers. I love the volunteers who take time to work in our community. However, I don’t love volunteer boards who want all the glory but somehow think they should be immune to criticism. Bottom line, you are being given a portion of taxpayer dollars to spend as you think is best. I emphasize — it’s taxpayer money and we have a right to weigh in if we want to.

It should be stressed that the cultural council did nothing wrong and did not misspend anything. I am just saying where taxpayer dollars go at any level is of public interest.

Like a planning and zoning commission answers to councils and commissioners — you are volunteers who do not just get to have the final say and never be questioned. If you do not like to be questioned — volunteer somewhere else.

Then, we have Commission Chair Abe Laydon saying what Thomas did was resort to “doxing.” I have grown to hate this term. It’s used to create victims that really aren’t victims. First, she listed the volunteer board members from your own Douglas County website. It’s a public website and these board members provided pictures and information. A bit of a stretch to even claim doxing.

As for doxing itself — the world wide web allows all of us to find a person’s address, phone number and social media accounts within minutes. Get good at it and you can find a lot more legally.

While I will take a wait-and-see approach — the timing and topic of this fight just seems suspicious.

In Arapahoe County, the issue of transparency also caught my attention after a short conversation with one of my journalists. Cherry Creek School District is an impressive district. My children attend, so I know it well.

However, the fact that the elected school board is so far behind the times that meetings are not livestreamed or recorded is concerning to me as a parent. If I want to research or get more involved in an issue — it’s not OK that it’s not readily available.

You are a district where parents approve bonds and give money. It’s a great district but this is disappointing, and in the name of true transparency it should be considered a high priority. Record meetings, live stream meetings and show that the public’s right to know does matter.

Again, to all public officials, boards and organizations — the public has a right to know and you should consider that a responsibility more than a liability.

Thelma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

This column was updated on Aug. 22.