Secrecy is Transparency

Rudolph Giuliani said in a Presidential debate that he had a "transparent government" and a "transparent life." What?! Are we watching Telescreens?! Mayor Giuliani went to great lengths to shroud his administration's activities and had a disgraceful private life.

Rudy's Secret Government

Here are some excerpts from news reports to highlight Giuliani's closed management style:

In his ruling, Justice Stanley Parness of State Supreme Court in Manhattan found that the city's handling of The Daily News's request for records had been "inconsistent with the mandates" of state public records laws. "The law provides for maximum access, not maximum withholding," Justice Parness wrote.

Judge Faults Giuliani's Policy On Releasing Public Records. April 24, 1997

Some groups that have had long working relationships with city government -- the business-financed Citizens Budget Commission, for example -- suddenly find themselves forced to file requests under the state Freedom of Information Law [FOIL] for information they had routinely received before. [The article chronicles many others experiencing this problem. --ed]

Giuliani Accused of Withholding Even Routine Data on City. April 27, 1997

Once, the city even denied a Freedom of Information request inquiring how many Freedom of Information requests had been denied.

Press secretaries at city agencies weren't allowed to answer the most innocuous of questions without checking with City Hall first, including details about the water levels in the city's reservoirs that the municipal Department of Environmental Protection had once provided to the New York Times weather page.

Rudy Awakening. November 2007

Russell Harding held a City Hall patronage job that came with a government credit card, which he used to steal more than $250,000.

What kept Mr. Harding in thievery for three years was that the city government, led by his patron, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, slammed the door on... freedom of information requests.

Giuliani, Very Open? There's Always a First Time. December 15, 2007

Rudy's Secret Life

Mayor Giuliani had clandestine extra-marital relationships.

Further Reading