If Erie County Executive Chris Collins has nothing to hide, he has an odd way of

demonstrating it. If he knows anything about democratic government, he has an odd way of showing it. This is the downside of electing a non-politician to political office.

Collins is refusing to release the financial disclosure forms that county policymakers are

required by state law to file. Perhaps that's because the person seeking them is Erie County Comptroller Mark C. Poloncarz, a likely opponent in next year's county executive election.

No matter. The records are public. They are meant to be accessible to anyone. If it's

intrusive, it's a necessary price governmental policymakers must pay for the authority they wield. It's a way for voters to know if elected officials are using their public offices to benefit their own bank accounts and then, perhaps, to hold them accountable.

Poloncarz, a Democrat, has been trying to see the documents, but to no avail. He has sued for access. A hearing is scheduled for May 27.

A Collins aide said the administration tried to negotiate with the comptroller, offering the excuse that "we need to protect county employees from fishing expeditions." Well, no. These documents exist to encourage fishing expeditions. If any policymakers' disclosures suggest a conflict of interest, voters have the right to know that. Besides, what makes Collins think he is allowed to negotiate with the law?

Thus, the unavoidable question arises: What is it that Collins doesn't want Poloncarz, or

anyone else in Erie County, to see?

It may be nothing or, at least, nothing more than the executive's familiar, if compulsive, need to have things his own way, a trait that routinely influences his decision-making, even when it could harm taxpayers. Consider his reckless obstinacy in dealing with the Justice Department as it seeks to end a horrifying pattern of prisoner suicide at the Erie County Holding Center.

There is clearly a problem there, yet Collins' defiance of federal officials has accomplished nothing useful for county residents. Quite the opposite: He has piled up legal bills that taxpayers will end up footing. No one has offered a plausible suggestion for his approach beyond the influence of his own personality.

Collins was elected because he was a successful entrepreneur who could bring a businessman's eye to county government. Voters get sick of "professional politicians" every so often and any fair review of Collins' tenure would show that he has had some success.

But he also brings a businessman's disdain for inefficiency and lack of authority, and the processes of democracy, which purposely restricts authority, are inefficient even at the best of times. Collins needs to get over it or go back to the private sector.

The law says that public documents are public. He needs to release these records instead of putting taxpayers on the hook for even more legal costs.