The editorial board at the Appalachian News-Express this past weekend published another piece about the corruption and secrecy surrounding the Mountain Water Board scandal. Needless to say, the paper isn’t letting this mess slip by the wayside.

What’s outrageous is that none of them are saying who is responsible for the measure.

Through the finger-pointing, denials and outrage, not one person has stepped up to lay claim to the provision.

Again we ask the question, if this is for the good of the state, county or for Mountain Water District’s customers, why the need for secrecy?

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Hall has been adamant he didn’t sponsor the legislation. Along with Stumbo, he said lobbyists could be to blame.

“To say I definitively know where it came from and where the language came from, I don’t know,” Hall told the News-Express on Monday. “But I will say there were several people from Pike County that came those two weeks and was at the capitol. It didn’t come from no legislator.”

Great! Now our state budget bill is being written by lobbyists!

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House Appropriations and Revenue Chair Rick Rand, D-Bedford, said in a phone interview Thursday that he couldn’t specify who requested the provision be attached to the bill.

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Apparently, the chairman of the appropriations and revenue committee has no idea who is writing the state budget bill.

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The veil of secrecy surrounding the origin of the provision is deceitful to the voters and flies in the face of transparent government.

When our lawmakers are keeping secrets from the public, it’s easy to assume there is a reason for the secrecy.

Until someone steps forward and either claims responsibility for the measure or identifies who is responsible, we will not be satisfied. The public deserves better.

The public does deserve better.

It’s time for Ethics and law enforcement to investigate. If our elected officials can’t be honest by putting this issue to bed, it’s time for some other body to bring the truth to light. Police, Ethics, doesn’t matter. Justice needs to be served.