[G]ov. Peter Shumlin’s new chief of staff issued a “reminder” about the administration’s media policies to high-level state employees this month.
The note, sent Sept. 10 by Darren Springer to members of the cabinet, requests that executive branch staff coordinate with the governor’s press secretary, Scott Coriell, before making statements to the media. The policy will help to “ensure we have consistent messages and information going out publicly,“ Springer wrote.
“If you or your staff are going to be calling a reporter, writing an op-ed, or going on radio or TV, please check-in with Scott ahead of time,” the email continues.
The memo came three months after the governor announced that he would not be running for re-election next year, triggering an acceleration of departures from the upper echelons of state government.
With Jim Reardon’s announcement this month that he would retire from heading the Department of Finance and Management, a total of 14 commissioners and secretaries have left the administration in a little over a year — meaning that Shumlin’s cabinet now comprises many new faces.
Springer is one of those newcomers. He took over as chief of staff in May, following the departure of Liz Miller. Springer, who served as deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Service before his promotion, was not available to comment for this article.
In an interview Monday, Coriell said that the memo was a routine reminder about a policy that has long been in place.
Many of the issues in state government that are most prominent in headlines tend to involve more than one department, and Coriell’s role is to facilitate coordination between different players, he said. He pointed to health care, water quality and child protection as key issues.
The policy is an effort to make sure that messages are coordinated across state government and that members of the administration are prepped with accurate information for the media, Coriell said.
“I do think it’s mutually beneficial to the press and the administration to ensure that when people do call you back they have the most accurate information to share,” Coriell said.
Coriell disputed that the policy is in conflict with Shumlin’s vow to increase transparency in state government.
“I just want to be very clear,” Coriell told VTDigger on Monday, “I have never and will never tell someone that they can’t go to the press.”
The recent high level of turnover in state government did not prompt the memo, and Coriell said that the reminder was not issued in response to any particular disclosure to the media.
The governor is “not at all” concerned about the cohesiveness of the administration at this point, Coriell said.
The Burlington Free Press first reported Springer’s email Sunday.
Deb Markowitz, Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, said that communication across state government can be tricky, but noted that the memo “just seemed routine” to her.
“It’s always a challenge to make sure we’re on the same page when communicating with the public,” Markowitz said.
Doug Racine, who served as secretary of Human Services in the Shumlin administration, said that he would routinely check in with the governor’s staff before making statements to the media.
While heading the Agency of Human Services, Racine never felt there was an effort from the governor’s office to control his message to the public, he said.
From his perspective, Springer’s note and the policy are not an attempt to muzzle anybody.
“I think it’s appropriate for governors to ask that their appointed officials be consistent,” Racine said.