With all the partisan contention in the State House, it’s great to see that almost everyone can agree on one thing: Gov. LePage’s plan to exempt his working papers from the state Right to Know law was a very bad idea.

This is a position that was embraced by both the House and the Senate. It collected votes from Democrats and Republicans. It built a coalition that included the tea party and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Opposing government secrecy was even a position that candidate Paul LePage endorsed but one that Gov. LePage felt he could live without, at least when it pertained to him.

Fortunately, there are checks and balances in our system of government, and the governor got checked and balanced in Augusta.

Government functions best when it is open to scrutiny, and the governor should not be exempt from rules that let the sunshine in. Fortunately, that is not a controversial position in our state Legislature.

 


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