Governor Peter Shumlin returned from vacation yesterday, and he’ll likely be compelled to answer some questions about where he went.
The Governor did not disclose his choice of location for R&R, and that’s led to speculation that perhaps he was basking in the warmth of a sunny locale, while Vermonters were digging out from up to 30 inches of snow in some parts of the state.
But so what? How many of us are expected to reveal where we go on vacation? Critics say it’s a different kettle of fish when you’re a Governor-especially one who pledged to make transparency in government a hallmark of his tenure in office.
Given the media attention the story has received, as well as the state Republican party asking in a news release "Where is Governor Shumlin?" as the storm pounded the state, VPR’s Mitch Wertlieb asks Linda Fowler, Professor of Political Science at Dartmouth College: Should the state’s highest elected official have the same expectation of privacy as anyone else when he takes time off from his official duties?
Click listen to hear the interview.