LePage shields new advisory council from Freedom of Access Act, citing need for frankness

[Maine-ah]

Source: BDN

Gov. Paul LePage’s executive order exempting his new business advisory council from the state’s Freedom of Access Act is drawing criticism from Democrats who say the state’s Republican chief executive is trying to conceal an extreme agenda.

LePage addressed the issue Wednesday morning in Augusta, adding that he planned a total of four advisory groups. The other groups would advise him on K-12 education, higher education and environmental issues.

“Basically these are people that we want to be able to sit around a table and say it the way it is, talk to us as business people, the dilemmas they face … and they don’t want to be in the press,” LePage told reporters outside the Blaine House, according to a recording provided to the Bangor Daily News. “They’re not public workers. They’re trying to help the state.”

But Democrats said the order specifically exempting the advisory groups from state laws ensuring public access to public proceedings flew in the face of LePage’s pledge to make government more transparent.

Read more: http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/03/09/politics/lepage-order-to-shield-business-group-draws-criticism/

[rfranklin]

1. Basically so they can screw the voters...

without fear of repercussions.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. *ding, ding, ding*

[cstanleytech]

2. Smells just ripe with backdoor dealings in the making

and it should not be allowed to happen.

[C_U_L8R]

3. Freedom is not freedom anymore

damn pukes reframing everything

[tinymontgomery]

4. What do they have to hide

If their not doing anything wrong then they shouldn't be afraid to be in the papers.

[annabanana]

5. oh stinky stinky. . .

REALLY in need of some sunshine up there in cloudy Maine. .

[abqmufc]

6. Welcome to the United States of Fascism....

Brought to you by the people that matter....Monsanto, DuPont, Dow Chemical, Chevron, and the good folks from Wall Street. Businesses are people and the people have spoken.

[SacoMaine61]

7. Help us! We're going to hell in a handbasket!!!

Why, oh why don't we have run-off elections here in Maine????

[DBoon]

8. Shades of Dick Cheney!

nt

[ixion]

9. If what an advisory council says can't be available in the public record, then there's malfeasance

about, you can count on it.

[ThomCat]

10. It sounds like they are exactly the people who need to be

in front of the public's scrutiny every moment that they are working on government business.

They don't sound like they can be trusted to act in secrecy.

[Pacifist Patriot]

12. If they don't want to be in the press, they have no business addressing PUBLIC policy.

[Gormy Cuss]

13. LePage: the gift that keeps on giving.

So Republican for a tea bagger: transparency for everyone but himself.

[crim son]

14. I heard him on NPR yesterday evening.

His alternative to the non-disclosure law is not having an advisory board at all. Sounds good to me, since he would only surround himself with sycophants anyway.

[jpak]

15. I think Maine Dems should force their way into those meetings - and make LePage throw them out

We have open meeting laws in Maine

They don't exempt assholes like LePage and his cronies

nope

[jpak]

16. self delete - double post

n/t

[bemildred]

17. Same old secrecy bullshit. If it is the public's business, it should be done in public. nt