Gov. Gregoire's Past Statements on Open Government

After reading the posting above about Gov. Gregoire refusing to provide public records about the Sunshine Committe, you might be interested to read these quotes from a 2001 Associated Press story back when she was the Attorney General:

"'The bottom line is that people are entitled to pretty much any document that comes to my mind,' said state Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

"She said the state’s public-disclosure laws were designed to make Washington’s government one of the most open in the nation, and she was disappointed by the audit’s findings that some agencies were not following them. Withholding documents builds skepticism, Gregoire said, and makes people believe government is 'hiding something.' 'When (citizens) are denied unjustly, they feel completely disenfranchised from government,' she said. 'They lose trust.'

"Gregoire said agencies should err on the side of full disclosure, meaning if they’re in doubt as to whether something should be released, they should release it."

Tip of the hat to the person who confidentially provided this to us. By the way, the source is a staunch Democrat.

Open government is a non-partisan issue. Some Democrats support it, some oppose it. Same with Republicans. But Gov. Gregoire is starting to tip the balance with her decision to withhold the Sunshine Committee records and her appointment of Tom Carr.