Pepin's ouster comes as the Attorney General investigates her role in the awarding of Choicelinx contract. Meanwhile, the Insurance Commission mulls a probe of Pepin's collection of fees on state health contracts.
NHPR's Josh Rogers has more.
NHPR's series on Linda Pepin and the Choicelinx contract earned a 2004 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Radio Investigative Reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists.
In a written statement, Governor Benson said Linda Pepin's stepping down is the best way for his administration to move forward in overhauling the state employee healthcare system. Benson spokesman Wendell Packard says Pepin's resignation is not an admission of wrongdoing. He says the governor still insists his administration acted with appropriate diligence in its handling of state contracts.
"That is the governor's position. He is, you know the attorney general is looking into the matter, and he is looking forward to the findings so we can move on."
Members of the Executive Council say they too want to move on, but not until they know exactly what happened, and how to make sure that the process that lead the Choicelinx contract is never repeated. District two councilor Peter Spaulding.
"We have received erroneous and misleading information and that's a situation that can just never happen again."
District one Councilor Ray Burton agrees. He says he expects to get two full reports by the Governor and Council's next meeting - one from the AG, and another from the Insurance Commission - on the roles Linda Pepin and State Personnel director Joe D'Alessandro played in the state's healthcare contracts. Burton says the executive branch must "tighten up" how it handles the bidding process - and eliminate its use of so-called volunteers.
"If you work for the state of NH you are either a classified employee of some category or you are an unclassified employee approved by the governor with the advice and consent of the council or you work as consultant on a contract with the approval of the governor and council - and that's it."
The Governor and Council next meet on Wednesday.
For NHPR News, I'm Josh Rogers.
