Governor Patrick's Administration Refuses to Release Names of 12 Member Study Group

According to the Lowell Sun, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's administration has refused to release all the names of a 12 member study group formed to study the possibility of slot machines and casinos in Massachusetts. Cyndi Roy, the Administration's spokesperson, is quoted by the Lowell Sun as stating that the members of the study group will not be made public except for Economic Development Director Dan O'Connell, Health and Human Service Director Judy Anne Bigby, and Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Burke. That leaves 9 members who will apparently remain annonymous. Maybe the 9 unnamed members will wear bags over their heads or disguises at the public hearings that, according to the article, are expected to be held in the future.

The Governor's spokesperson Roy also is quoted as saying, "We are not naming the members because it is not our policy to name internal people working on policy for us." Huh? Ok, I think there is a little confusion here over the public's right to know. The public has a right to know who is serving in government positions, even in the Executive Branch. After all, we are paying their salaries. So, if the question is who is seving on this study group, then the Governor should be releasing that information, even if his staffers are telling him there is no law that compels him to release the information. In any event, he will have to release the information under the Public Records Law if he receives a public record request and there is a public record which contains the information.

I had such high hopes for Governor Patrick so this "acting in secret" business is so disappointing. What has happened to the man we all thought was going to change the way government was conducted in Massachusetts? What have they done with the Deval Patrick we elected? I am holding out hope that this latest story is just a miscommunication.