At the end, the bipartisan panel recommended expelling Rep. Thomas Wright, a Wilmington Democrat, for what the chairman called "massive fraud."

You might have attended the proceedings or read about them in The N&O. For that, you can thank Matthew Eisley.

In 2006, the legislature overhauled state ethics laws. But when doing so, it quietly added a provision that made ethics hearings secret for lawmakers and executive branch employees.

In contrast, misconduct hearings for lawyers, doctors and judges are required to be open.

Last year, Eisley, an N&O reporter since 1992, ran into Bob Phillips, the founder of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform. Phillips told Eisley about the secrecy provision.

Eisley turned that tip into a story with the headline, "What are they afraid of?" It ran on the Q cover as part of our Sunshine Week coverage last year.

Eisley, who has won two open government awards from different media groups, followed with a steady drumbeat of stories. Eventually, on the last day of the session, the legislature revised the ethics law to open the hearings. Gov. Mike Easley signed the bill.

And that's why the recent hearings were open.

"Your story got the issue out there, and then newspapers around the state picked it up and editorialized on it," Phillips said. "It had a tremendous impact."

As executive editor, I oversee news, sports, business and features. I don't oversee the editorial pages, which are run by Steve Ford. I generally won't use this column to push for a certain policy or get involved in partisan issues. That's Ford's job.

But I will use this column to push for open government (as Ford also does). And when public officials won't talk to us, I'll take a swing at them, as I have recently with Gov. Easley.

To Easley's credit, he finally gave us an extended interview about the problems the state encountered as it changed the way it delivers mental health care.

Unfortunately, he also revealed that he discarded a letter written to him by Carmen Hooker Odom, the former secretary of Health and Human Services. Easley says it wasn't a public record because it did not discuss anything of public consequence.

If not, why did Easley mention the letter's contents to a reporter while talking about mental health?

A lawyer for the N.C. Press Association says the letter was indisputably a public record.

The incident shows how vigilant the press and public have to be. The private sector is disciplined primarily by the profit motive (not that openness doesn't benefit business, too).

But government, lacking a profit motive, is disciplined solely by openness. The more vigilant the press, the better the government.

We'll stay on the case.