More on selecting a senator
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- January
- 14
Gov. David Paterson’s secrecy surrounding the Senate hopefuls seems to run afoul do the law, according to Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government.
This from the Associated Press:
Keeping the questions posed to Senate hopefuls secret appears to violate the state’s post-Watergate freedom of information laws, according to Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, the state agency that regulates enforcement of the good-government laws.
“How could it not be public? It’s a blank form,” said Freeman, a lawyer who since 1976 has been the top state employee advising government and the public on interpretation of the public officers’ law.
The names of those under consideration also should be disclosed, Freeman said.
“In my mind, the identities of those seeking one of the highest offices in the land would not rise to the level of unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” Freeman told The Associated Press in an interview.
Freeman, who issues opinions and make recommendations but does not have the authority to sue for the release of public records, said at least some of the answers by candidates in their background checks probably should be public as well.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 6:16 pm by Noreen O'Donnell.
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