Asbestos mess being handled poorly at top

The Cayuga County government's asbestos scandal (yes, that's the word people should not hesitate to use) has exposed a major weakness in the county's public communications procedures.

Forget the silence from county legislators about what happened and who knew about it and when did they know? It's obvious that lawmakers are keeping their mouths shut on those questions on the advice of attorneys, who are trying to minimize the potential legal and political damage this whole episode has caused.

Instead, focus on how the county continues to fumble over getting some of the most basic information out to the public in a timely way.