Please read the information below to learn about Jeff Thielman’s positions on important issues that will be addressed by your next State Representative:
(use the links to the left to see different issues)
Disclosure of Public Information
Some voters have asked me about workplace privacy issues as they relate to public employees.
The Massachusetts Public Records Law was created after the Watergate and Vietnam scandals to allow citizens to get information about their government. The law states that virtually all government records are public, including letters and emails written by municipal employees.
My practice has been to share public records with anyone who makes such a request. When asked by a reporter in the summer of 2007 for information that had been given to the School Committee about our middle school, I complied with the letter and spirit of the law and gave the reporter the documents he requested. The information revealed serious problems at the middle school.
I realize that my delay in coming forward as the source of these public records complicated an already difficult situation by causing pain and anger among many in our community. I should have immediately told the taxpayers of Arlington that I was the source of the information instead of waiting for the next School Committee meeting, and for that I am truly sorry.
Thankfully for our students and parents, our middle school is now under strong and experienced leadership. The school is in a much better place than it was a year ago.
As a State Representative, I will be an advocate for transparent government, and I will communicate with voters on a regular basis about issues that come before the State Legislature. The right of citizens to information about their government is a fundamental principle of democracy, and a State Representative must clearly and consistently communicate with the people he or she represents. I pledge to do this as the next State Representative from the 23rd Middlesex District.
Here is a video statement about the release of the public documents in Arlington in 2007:
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