COEUR d'ALENE - Marc Eberlein is bringing transparency to the highest offices of county government.

Literally.

Eberlein, who was sworn in as a Kootenai County commissioner on Monday, just hasn't been comfortable with the door to his office. So next week, the commissioners are scheduled to hear from county facilities director Shawn Riley, who will present options for windows in their doors.

Eberlein's not taking credit.

"The idea was my wife's," he said Friday.

And it seemed like more than a prudent one, he said.

"I don't like the idea of closing the door without a window in it," he said. "There's a lot of accusations brought against people."

Commissioner Dan Green said Friday he's completely on board with the change.

"A lot of the doors in the county have one," Green said.

The idea is that having a window reduces the chances of a lawsuit, in case somebody might suggest something improper happened behind a closed door.

"I would hate for somebody to ever make accusations," Green said.

There is also the advantage of windows providing security, Green said.

"When Marc brought the idea up, I started looking around - a lot of them have them," Green said.

Riley on Friday agreed that having windows in doors is a common practice for county offices, especially ones where sensitive matters are often discussed.

Riley said county employees working in probation, county assistance and auditing have windows in their doors.

"For a lot of them it's a safety issue as well," he said. "That's the driving force behind it."