The Governor’s Council, an elected body that makes lifetime appointments to the state’s courts, votes on commutations and makes nominations for several other boards, quietly posted on its website it would no longer stream its hearings.
“We shouldn’t be putting the public in the dark again, not knowing. It’s not fair,” said Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney of Watertown, who raised the issue in Wednesday’s meeting.
Devaney said she has been pushing to stream the meetings ever since she was first elected over 20 years ago “because the public doesn’t know the workings of the Governor’s Council,” she said.
She got her wish in 2020 when the Governor’s Council, along with many other local and state boards, began livestreaming its meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, Councilor Robert Jubinville of Milton made a round of calls to the other members to discuss ending the streams, and he said he spoke with Devaney Tuesday about the issue.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who presides over the Governor’s Council meetings pointed out to Devaney that the State House is fully open to the public, without a masking or vaccination requirement.
Jubinville told Devaney that “the pandemic is over” and reminded her that the Governor’s Council office staff is “loaded with work.” The meetings, including the March 9 meeting, are generally recorded and posted online by private citizen Patrick McCabe at patrickmccabegovernorscouncil.com.
“Having to handle the technology related to that has taken personnel away from processing thousands and thousands of applications for a lot of other positions,” Councilor Terrence Kennedy of Lynnfield told the Herald. “All of that stuff’s fallen way behind.”
“When I say we have no resources, I’m not kidding,” Councilor Eileen Duff of Gloucester said. A staffer from Gov. Charlie Baker’s office has been assisting with the technical needs of the Council, not its own staffer.
To increase public access, Duff has held public information hearings in her district. Although she said it’s extra work to organize those herself, “the public loves it.”
State think tank the Pioneer Institute panned the decision to remove the stream. “Government transparency should be a priority, not an afterthought,” said Mary Z. Connaughton, director of Government Transparency for the organization. “Excuses like those fly in the face of those who wish to promote a healthy, democratic form of government.”
“That’s certainly a step backward, as far as government transparency is concerned,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, adding that live streaming technology has increased access for those with disabilities, busy journalists and working parents, for example.
Many Executive Branch entities continue to live stream their meetings, as do both branches of the Legislature, with plans to do so indefinitely. A state Senate spokesperson said it plans to continue streaming its hearings “so that they are more accessible to those who can’t make it into the State House.”
Wayne Perry, a citizen who regularly attends meetings and summarizes them publicly on social media, told the Herald that the livestreams have raised the civility level among the council members.
“YouTube screening is helpful. They’re actually being more professional and more decent,” he said.
“The best thing has happened to the Governor’s Council and the people of the Commonwealth is to actually see what goes on at these hearings and who these counselors are and what they’re doing,” he added.
