Gov. Tom Wolf pledged to be an “unconventional leader,” but one of his first actions in office smacks of an all-too-familiar brand of politics.
He removed the executive director of the Office of Open Records, firing him with Donald Trump-like flair: swiftly and seemingly with little justification.
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Read More… from Our Opinion: Keep partisanship out of Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records
Gov. Tom Wolf is committed to changing the culture in Harrisburg.
Elected leaders should be open, transparent, and accountable to the people of Pennsylvania. Gov. Wolf has not only pledged to make this one of his top priorities, but has actually acted upon it.
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A governor’s first actions in office are watched closely by the media, presumably because they tell us something about their priorities.
Since Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, was inaugurated last week, he has signed a couple ethics-related executive orders. He has very publicly gone to war with the GOP by firing the chief of the state’s Office of Open Records, who was appointed by his predecessor Republican Gov. Corbett during his final days in office.
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Read More… from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s Cabinet Got Schooled on Your Right to Know
A leading advocate of open government is calling on Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to reconsider his firing of his predecessor’s appointee as director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records.
The Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition said today that Mr. Wolf’s decision last week to oust Erik Arneson and appoint an acting director will have a long-term, negative impact on its integrity. Mr. Arneson was appointed by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett a week before he left office.
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Read More… from Open government advocate urges Wolf to reconsider firing
So much for a honeymoon.
On his second day in office, Gov. Wolf rescinded more than two dozen eleventh-hour appointments by his predecessor – firing the state's new open records officer, canceling judicial nominations, and effectively booting the former lieutenant governor from Temple University's board of trustees.
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Read More… from Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf fires open records director and recalls Corbett’s nominations
Gov. Tom Wolf spent part of his first day on the job Wednesday undergoing a few hours of training on ethics and making government open to the public.
Aides said the governor arrived at the Capitol at about 11 a.m., the morning after his inaugural ball, and parked his trademark Jeep outside the executive offices before joining senior staff and others for the training.
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Read More… from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s 1st day begins with ethics, open government training
A nonprofit group that works to ensure Pennsylvanians have full access to government records and proceedings has a new leader.
The Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition announced Tuesday that attorney Corinna Vecsey Wilson will take over as executive director.
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Read More… from Pa. Freedom of Information group gets new director
Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald Castille and Attorney General Kathleen Kane must release an estimated 4,000 emails exchanged between Supreme Court justices and the attorney general's office to preserve public trust in Pennsylvania's judicial system, a coalition of legal experts said Tuesday.
In an open letter to Castille and Kane, the group said the release of hundreds of sexually explicit emails that retired Justice Seamus P. McCaffery exchanged with an agent in the attorney general's office was a first step toward transparency.
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Read More… from Pa. legal experts call on Castille, Kane to release justices’ email
Pennsylvanians have a strong interest in government transparency. The problem is that the Corbett administration apparently doesn't think so. If it did, lawyers representing the state would not have been in Commonwealth Court Tuesday to defend the indefensible.
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Read More… from Unknowing policy: The state’s lawyers act to stymie public scrutiny
The Pennsylvania Senateís passage last month of SB 444, amending the stateís Right to Know law, was far from a shining example of representative government working in the peopleís best interest.
The vote ó 50-0 ó was instead an inexcusable exercise favoring the government's interest over that of citizens' right to know, proving again that public transparency is the last thing on lawmakers'minds.
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