Email messages readers are sending to SLABBED indicate Louisiana citizens want more transparency not less. The most recent message contained a link to the blog forgotston and news that reports Rep. Steve Pugh, R-Ponchatoula, has joined Jefferson Parish’s Senator Martiny on the dark side with an amendment to Louisiana open records law:
Rep. Steve Pugh, R-Ponchatoula, has filed some bills in the current lege session to hide more public documents from the public. That’s rather odd considering how the LA public (his constituents) thinks there isn’t enough transparency in government. Most politicians when seeking office (At least the first time.) have a plank in their platforms about more transparency.
One of Pugh’s bills really hits home with me.
Pugh wants to give himself and other public servants the right to determine which electronic mailing (”email”) they receive are considered “junk” and therefore not subject to the Public Records Law. They could simply delete e-mails transferred by their junk filters (for which they control the criteria) into their “junk box”. ( See HB 1074.)
As the “Church Lady” on Saturday Night Live used to say: “How con-VEEN-ient!
forgotston is the incredibly interesting blog of C.B. Forgotston, a former New Orleans attorney, now in Hammond where he is “engaged in the private practice of law as a sole-practitioner limited to legislative and governmental matters. Given his background, it’s not surprising that Mr. Forgotston really nails Pugh: Continue reading ““How con-VEEN-ient” – Representative Pugh joins Senator Martiny on the dark side with amendment to Louisiana open records law”