Good ol' boy accountability

When good ol' boys get caught, take for example Governor Susana Martinez and her shadow government, if they talk about it at all, it is only to point out that it was all "legal". Martinez has offered some quasi-law of her own, a la Joe Monahan, link;

This includes discussions preliminary in nature to final decisions or actions that have occasionally been sent via personal email because they are not required to be maintained under state law.

Her thinking is now clarified; the expectation that the people's power and resources be spent transparently, now includes the discussions that lead to final votes. Apparently, they hadn't thought of that before.

We the people, have no choice but to entrust the spending of our power and resources to politicians and public servants. If we the people, want to hold a politician or public servant accountable under the law, on the issue of their trustworthiness, we cannot. On this issue in particular, Martinez reminds us;

"There is no state law that requires this to be done ..."

More than the law requires; less than the law allows.

Any standard of conduct higher than the law require more
than the law requires, and allow less than the law allows,
or it isn't a higher standard at all.

Martinez has finally realized;

"... utilizing only state email to conduct state business in connection with public employees' duties is another important step to ensure continued confidence in government...".

If not using private email to conduct government business is an important step in the right direction today, why was it not yesterday and the days before? Had no one thought of it?

The foundation of trustworthiness is truth telling.

Is Susana Martinez trust worthy; can she be trusted to be candid, forthright and honest with interest holders?

A former Cabinet Secretary, Lupe Martinez, testified in a deposition that, Chief of Staff Keith Gardner told cabinet secretaries and others, ...

to, whenever possible, use our private emails when communicating because by doing such would prevent them from being discovered through public records requests."

Governor Susana Martinez is alleged to have witnessed that act, and given it her tacit approval.

Every person who attended that meeting should be asked under oath and under threat of perjury, whether that instruction was given.

Governor Susana Martinez could arrange for those statements to be taken and made public, and rather immediately.

Whether she does or not is a measure of her willingness to do more than the law requires in truth telling, and less than the law allows, in an effort to hide it.




photos Mark Bralley