Governor releases hundreds of documents he says list most volunteers working in state government. This comes after a superior court judge said he was troubled by Benson's refusal to name all who worked in his office.
Benson spokesman Wendell Packard called yesterday's document dump a work in progress inspired by media requests for more information about government volunteers.
"The Governor felt it would be appropriate to make every state volunteer accessible, err, known. And as you can see by this pile of lists, no list in the past has ever been compiled."
The Governor's newfound fealty for public disclosure came just hours after Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Edward Fitzgerald heard the state Democratic Party and the Attorney General's office spar over Benson's compliance with the state's right-to-know provisions. Speaking outside the courthouse, Democratic Party chair Kathy Sullivan said that New Hampshire's Constitution makes it clear that citizens have a right to know who is carrying out the public's business.
"Craig Benson has tried to ignore that. He's refused to tell us who these volunteers are. He's refused to tell us their background. He refuses to tell us what their responsibilities are. And when you don't do that, when you don't disclose some very basic information about who is making decisions it undermines the public's confidence in government -- that's just wrong."
The state Attorney General's office, meanwhile told reporters that the public already knew enough about Benson's off-the-books workers.
"Yes, I do believe there is an appropriate amount on information out about these volunteers."
That's Assistant Attorney General Andrew Livernois. He and others from the AGs office stress that state exercised appropriate discretion last year when it released 400 heavily redacted documents pertaining to the duties of Benson volunteers Angela Blaisdell and Ray Marshall. Citing executive privilege, the Benson administration withheld numerous other documents……..As he left the courthouse yesterday , Livernois reiterated what he earlier told Judge Fizgerald -- that the identities of all relevant Benson staffers can be found on the state's website.
"That is my understanding, yes, that all of the people who assist the governor in making policy decisions are on the website."
When challenged, however, that neither, Ray Marshall who has worked with the office of state planning, nor former Benson volunteer Linda Pepin, have been listed as official members of what Benson calls his "virtual team," the justice department became far less certain…Associate attorney General Daniel Mullen.
"My understanding is people who advise him are listed on his virtual website. If those people are not on there that's something you should take up with Wendell Packard and Keith Herman. But my understanding is that they were listed as part of his virtual team."
The Benson admistration says it will continue to work on documenting its volunteer members, but could make no promise a "cohesive list" will ever be produced. The democrats meanwhile, criticized the Governor's release of documents as a "smart-alec response to Judge Fitzgerald's legitimate concerns."
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo