Local Government: April 2009 Archives

Assistant Democrat Leader Lisa Marrache (D) - Waterville, responded directly today to several media stories about her proposed bill to hide names from public employees salary information.

Her opinon piece in the Kennebec Journal calls those who publish this public information "sleazy and voyeuristic' and goes on to say at the same time that she is, "a big proponent of transparency in government..."

She can say what she wants, but as the Brunswick Times says,  "Marrache's legislation would put this state back into the dark ages, with respect to Maine's Freedom of Access law... a misguided piece of legislation that deserves a quick death at the committee level, with a unanimous 'ought not to pass' recommendation stamped across the document."

Maybe the good Senator is familiar with the phrase, "actions speak louder than words"

More news today surrounding the LD 1353 bill that would hide public employees salary information.

This mornings editorial in the Kennebec Journal on LD 1353 points out that this bill to censor government employees salary information might be the result of a "you scratch our back we'll scratch yours" relationship between the Democrats in the Maine State Legislature and the public employees unions.

For an additional audio report on this story, listen to MPBN's report.

This Lewiston Sun-Journal article outlines a bill introduced in the Maine State Legislature that is what the Sun-Journal calls...

"legislation to separate the names of state workers from their salaries, for the purpose of public records. This bill is a direct result from the policy center's new Web site, Maineopengov.org, which made this information easily searchable."

The bill appears on the Maine State Legislatures website with the heading below.

LD 1353 (SP 488)

"An Act Regarding Salary Information for Public Employees"

Sponsored by Senator Lisa Marraché

The Maine Heritage Policy Center has won the 2009 Sunshine Award, given by the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition, for it's creation of the MaineOpenGov.org website.

The Maine Open Government Blog was highlighted in the article by Tarren Bragdon, CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center: "the site will soon feature blogs -- both anonymous and bylined, said Bragdon."

An article about this award was also published in the Ellsworth American.


 

Welcome to the new Maine Open Government Blog!

Our goal is for the Maine Open Government Blog to become a statewide hub through which Maine taxpayers can share, analyze and comment on the data they find on MaineOpenGov.org. This analysis and perspective will add valuable insight and depth to the discussion about how our State and Local governments spend taxpayer dollars.

Are you interested in submitting a post for the Maine Open Government Blog? Please send an email to info@maineopengov.org to become a registered blogger. A 25 dollar stipend will be awarded for each blog posted.

Your interest in contributing to a culture of government transparency, and your continued participation on MaineOpenGov.Org is very important to informed public debate of the vital issues facing Maine.