Mutchler deserves second term
If there is a bigger “no-brainer” in Pennsylvania politics than reappointing Terry Mutchler to another six-year term as executive director of the state Office of Open Records, it escapes the detection of me and many of my legislative colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Yet Gov. Tom Corbett has thus far refused to give Mutchler the well-deserved second term she has earned by successfully launching, staffing and refining an office of utmost importance to open government. Her term expired last Thursday, April 24, yet Corbett has remained mysteriously mum on her future.
For the goodness of all Pennsylvanians who value having an independent, fair-minded, nonpartisan champion of openness in this seat, I sincerely hope Corbett doesn’t play politics with this appointment by replacing Mutchler.
As the prime sponsor of the House version of the state’s 2008 Right-to-Know Law, a hallmark of my inaugural campaign for office, I cannot fathom any reason why Mutchler is not deserving of reappointment. My compatriot in the battle for more open government, Republican Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County, has credited Mutchler with making her office “one of the most respected agencies of its type in the nation.”
I could not agree more. In my dealings with Mutchler, I have discovered a true public servant who sees government as serving the people, not the other way around. From day one, she has been acutely aware that in Pennsylvania, the deck traditionally had been stacked against information seekers, who often lacked the time, expertise and money to mount successful legal challenges if they were turned down by government entities.
Mutchler’s office, in keeping with the spirit of the new Right-to-Know Law, has significantly leveled the playing field. It has decided more than 6,000 appeals in a way not favorable to Democrats or Republicans, or paupers or power brokers. I could fill this page with more details about its fine work performing a critical mission, but you can learn more by visiting www.openrecords.state.pa.us.
I certainly hope that his silence on Mutchler’s future doesn’t reflect Corbett’s intention to even a political score. It is no secret that under her guidance, the Office of Open Records has ruled against the Corbett administration a number of times – including siding with me last year in my request to find out how many state troopers are assigned to the Uniontown station.
After putting up strong initial resistance, and vowing to take the matter to court even after the OOR ruled in my favor, the state police high command decided – wisely, I might add – to back down. In so doing, not only was the public interest served, the validity of my initial request and the OOR’s ruling that this was public information was deeply affirmed.
Mutchler has played an important role in transforming Pennsylvania from a den of darkness into a room of bright light when it comes to citizen access to government decisions and information. She is worthy of reappointment for a job well done. And if Corbett refuses to acknowledge this basic truth, he is giving voters additional food for thought as to whether he deserves a second term as governor.
State Rep. Timothy S. Mahoney, D-South Union Township, represents the 51st Legislative District, which includes much of Fayette County.