Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once wrote, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.”

Brandeis wasn’t suggesting that opening a window would magically disinfect one’s floors. His was a figure of speech that referenced investment bankers of the early 20th century that he feared were becoming all too powerful.

But his words have also come to be a clarion call for freedom of information advocates.

All too often, government leaders believe the details of government are not the public’s business — at least not all the messy details.

We’ve long been of the belief that quite the opposite is true. When even the smallest government detail isn’t made crystal clear, the public’s interests are not properly served.

That’s why periodically, our staff tries to examine a small segment of local government records and provide the public with as much information as possible about a matter that might otherwise go unnoticed.

In recent years, we’ve examined travel expenses of elected officials, publicly funded cell phone records, campaign finance contributors and more.

Today we focus a small ray of sunshine on the City of Vidalia’s salary expenses, not to suggest any particular wrongdoing has occurred, but simply to keep the public informed on how their tax dollars are being spent.

We hope you find the work interesting and informative. The money being spent is yours. The least you can expect is to know how it’s being spent.