When Texans awoke to a new year, for open government advocates it might have been a new world.

There, on 2005’s dawning was an unexpected solidarity on public access. If the good news holds true, perhaps it portends a growing, if overdue, appreciation among elected officials that the government belongs to the people.

The awakening comes as the state girds its loins for the 2005 legislative congressional sessions. And while we’re never surprised at the antics under the pink granite dome or inside the beltway, we do find ourselves in the surprising — and enviable — position of having three influential policy-makers carrying the banner for open government.

Most of us newspaper types embrace the responsibility to hold up our end of that flag. We know the struggle of keeping it aloft against the hot wind of unofficial opposition and in the dead calm of official neglect. That’s why it’s encouraging to have extra help as we shoulder the cause in this gloomy season of governmental secrecy that threatens to overtake good sense.

In fact, it’s downright giddy that the likes of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Attorney General Greg Abbott have signed on as champions of open government.

Cornyn and Abbott have been steadfast advocates of making government more accessible. Cornyn, first in his roles as a state Supreme Court justice and attorney general, and now, in his congressional quest to make federal access laws more favorable to the public. Abbott, his former colleague on the court and successor as the state’s top lawyer, campaigned on open government and retains it as a priority of his office.

Now, with the Texas Legislature and Congress about to convene, Abbott, Cornyn and Dewhurst must have been inspired by a shared vision.

Consider these recent developments:

· Abbott is pushing for disclosure rules on state investments and mandatory open government training for all Texas elected officials.

· Dewhurst ramped up his commitment to openness with an eight-point plan to make Texas government more transparent.

· Cornyn will file a bill incorporating the best parts of Texas access laws into the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Any one of those constitutes an ambitious agenda and significant benefits could ensue if even one succeeds.

With these heavy-hitters acknowledging the importance of public access and transparent government, success is more likely but not guaranteed.

Cornyn told Chuck Lindell of the Austin American-Statesman he is attempting “to change the culture.”

Effecting that change won’t be easy. Bombarded with identity theft and terrorism threats, Americans fear for their safety and privacy as never before. Fear that has prompted lawmakers to launch misplaced assaults against openness. Fear that has silenced citizens’ protests.

It’s critical that we help Cornyn and Abbott and Dewhurst change the culture, here in Texas and across America.

We can do this by reminding our readers that the preamble of the Texas Public Information Act clearly establishes the basis of openness by declaring that government is “the servant, not the master of the people.”

Meanwhile, we should thank our champions, and encourage and assist them in their efforts.