After being re-elected to his District 7 seat on the Cayuga County Legislature, Legislature Chairman George Fearon reiterated this week that he will not seek the chairman's seat for 2008. Now is the time for the Legislature to do the right thing and hold open, public discussions about who the new chairman will be.

Last fall, Republican legislators held a party caucus and walked out of the room having decided that Fearon would get the votes he needed to become chairman. The Republicans held - and continue to hold - an overwhelming majority of seats, allowing them to leave their Democratic colleagues out of the discussion.

What little the public ever heard about the caucus was that Auburn legislator Peter Tortorici had expressed interest in the position. But what qualifications his fellow Republicans had sought in a new leader, or what deals may have been made to solidify a majority behind Fearon were left to speculation.

Well, here we are again. With only a few weeks before the new Legislature officially goes to work on Jan. 1, 2008, what will the process be for choosing a new chairman?

We urge the Legislature to hold all discussions on this matter during public meetings, allowing anyone wishing to become chair to publicly state his or her intentions and explain why they are the best person for the job.

Last year, Minority Leader Michele Sedor suggested just that, only to be dismissed by Republicans who said they didn't want to hear the same discussion twice.

But what Sedor rightly pointed out is that the entire Legislature - elected by the public and charged with, among other things, appointing a chairman - should have been included in the process. And the public should have been allowed to observe.

At the end of a year filled with secrets and scandals in county politics, we urge the Legislature to be more open with the public - starting with public discussions about the role of its new chairman and who is best qualified to fill the seat.