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Health & Fitness

Is the Governor's Council a Respectful Body?

Governor's Council candidate Patrick McCabe explains why he thinks the council is respectful of those who appear before it.

Editor's Note: The following blog post was submitted by Patrick McCabe, .

In recent years, the question has arisen as to whether the Governor’s Council is respectful of those who appear before it.

As someone who has attended many hearings in the past four years, I can say whole heartedly, YES.

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At times some members of the media have attempted to portray the Governor’s Council as clowns (Boston Phoenix - Jan. 14, 2009), that accomplish nothing and are of little value.

The most well know function of the council, the approval of nominations to the judiciary, certainly is of great importance. Imagine if the US Senate were stripped of its ability to vet nominations to our federal courts. 

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The conduct of the council came under fire as it moved from being an office that often rubber stamped appointments to these positions, to an office that actually questioned the nominees about their experience and qualifications for the positions they have been nominated to.

Two issues seemed to drive the criticism of the Council.

First, as they became more involved there was a learning curve; people that were not necessarily great public speakers had to grow into that role.

Second, there are those that wish to protect the judiciary from any criticism. As a body politic made up of human beings the judiciary should be as open to criticism as any other body politic, there are apparently those that disagree and some of those are employed by the media.

The view often presented by the media is interesting because media personnel seldom attend the meetings or hearings of the Governor’s Council, and when they do their reporting they often miss the points of the issue being raised.

The governor’s council meetings are like many other public meetings, where one has the opportunity to hear views and comments not their own. They can be contentious, as town meetings may be, but in my view they have always been respectable.

The role of the Governor’s Council is an important role that needs to be done until a new way for accomplishing the tasks put before them is created. I have not heard anyone suggest that there is a cheaper way to accomplish this task.

Just think, how easy is it to tell someone NO, when they are applying for a job they are not qualified for.

If there is anything you would like to know about the Council please feel free to contact me at patrickmccabegovernorscouncil@gmail.com.

To learn more about the council and what it is currently doing please check out my site patrickmccabegovernorscouncil.com.

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