RALEIGH – The state’s new, private job-recruiting and marketing agency appears to be starting off on the right foot when it comes to transparency.

The nonprofit Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, which opened its doors in Cary last week, plans to disclose its initial group of private donors in the next couple of weeks, along with a head count and salaries of more than 30 employees who moved over from the state Commerce Department, said John Lassiter, chairman of the partnership’s interim board of directors.

That’s good, given that some other states that created similar economic development agencies have had glaring problems with transparency, leading to public distrust.

Good disclosure should be expected, given Gov. Pat McCrory’s talk on the campaign trail two years ago about the importance of transparency. The partnership is one of the main initiatives of McCrory’s administration so far.

For at least the next five years, the EDP is expected to receive about $17 million a year in state taxpayer funding to oversee North Carolina’s efforts in economic development and international trade, as well as tourism, film and sports development. As part of the partnership’s contract with the Commerce Department, which previously was responsible for those functions, the new agency must raise private dollars to supplement the public funds. It is a “public-private partnership” after all. Legislation guiding the partnership requires that it raise $5.75 million privately over five years. That money may be used to add to salaries paid for with public dollars or for travel or other expenses related to job recruitment, among other possible uses.

So far, the agency has raised nearly $500,000 from private companies, Lassiter said earlier this month. At that time, he said the partnership would identify its donors only in its federal tax forms and when required to by state lawmakers. (State law requires the partnership to submit details about donors to the Commerce Department once a year).

But after being asked why the partnership didn’t want to disclose its donors immediately or upon request, Lassiter and other partnership officials apparently changed their minds.

“We have revised our thoughts about disclosure,” Lassiter wrote in an email.

We all know the potential for corruption and conflicts of interest where large amounts of cash are involved. While state law does require the partnership to disclose its donors at certain intervals, the EDP can’t go wrong by releasing them more often, making it easier for the public to determine whether contributors are getting special treatment, such as tax incentives, favorable legislation or anything else in return.

For similar reasons, state laws require elected officials to disclose who is giving to their campaigns. That way, the public can decide whether politicians are making decisions based on their donors’ wishes or the public good.

Lassiter said he didn’t know exactly how the partnership would disclose its donors. He also didn’t say for certain whether the amounts of each donation would be released, or just a list of donors and a total amount raised.

The state is handing over millions of public dollars a year to a private organization. The partnership is just a week old and will have plenty of opportunities to show that it values the public’s right to know how it is spending that money.

The more information it provides, the more trust it will earn along the way. People simply don’t trust secrecy.

Gannon writes columns for Capitol Press Association.