Share
RALEIGH On her first day as governor, Bev Perdue pledged to increase government transparency.
“Government must be more accountable to the people,” Perdue said in her Jan. 10 inaugural address. “The state's business must be conducted in the sunshine, to inspire confidence, not cynicism.”
Perdue appears to largely be living up to that promise. She makes her weekly schedule available, frequently takes questions from reporters, and her administration released travel and other records that disclosed former Gov. Mike Easley's use of private planes and other activities.
And Wednesday, Perdue issued executive orders to ensure that government e-mails are retained for inspection and to bring more transparency to the state's efforts to recruit businesses. She is also expected soon to sign a bill that she backed that would force state mental hospitals to release information about those who die in the facilities or within two weeks of being discharged.
But Perdue's administration continues to withhold some key records, such as reports on probationers who committed serious crimes and state employees who had sex with inmates.
“Compared to what it was, (Perdue) has been great,” said Don Carrington, vice president of the conservative John Locke Foundation, who said the Easley administration routinely rebuffed his calls and requests for documents. “They return calls and acknowledge requests.”
But being more open than Easley, whose penchant for secrecy and reclusiveness earned him a reputation as the Howard Hughes of N.C. governors, is not much of a test.
Former Govs. Jim Hunt, a Democrat, and Jim Martin, a Republican, held weekly news conferences. Both routinely put out weekly schedules, though they sometimes did not include sensitive meetings.
Gary Pearce, Hunt's press secretary during his first two terms, said his former boss figured he was better off being cooperative rather than confrontational. Perdue does not hold regular press conferences, but she often lingers after public events to answer questions from reporters. Easley, on the rare occasions he held public events, tended to duck out hurriedly.
Perdue's decision to release Easley's travel records to The News & Observer, which his administration had withheld claiming security concerns, led to a continuing criminal investigation of the former chief executive. FBI agents recently seized state records on Easley's frequent trips on the private planes of political supporters and the hiring of his wife at N.C. State University.
Making records available
David Kochman, Perdue's communications director, said Perdue is increasing openness with technology, such as new Web sites to make records and budget information more available.
“The more citizens have an understanding of what government is doing and what decisions are being made, the easier it will be for everybody to work together,” he said.
There have been times, however, when the Perdue administration has been as restrictive, or even less forthcoming, than its predecessor.
Last year, Easley's correction secretary, Theodis Beck, released audits of 24 cases in which a probationer was charged with a serious crime while under supervision. After The N&O ran articles in December detailing problems in the probation system, Beck agreed to release similar audits in more than 2,000 cases.
Perdue's new correction secretary, Alvin Keller, reversed that decision in March and has declined to release the records.
