Projo Politics Blog

By Steve Peoples

State House Room 313 last week was the scene of the most contentious legislative hearing in nearly four months.

But as taxpayer groups and labor leaders clashed over the merits of binding arbitration before the House Labor Committee, Capitol Television offered viewers a re-run of Brian Stern's Oct. 5 judicial swearing-in ceremony, among other pre-recorded material.

"Were they all on vacation down there in Capitol Television?" an angry House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson asked Political Scene after the hearing. "What were they filming that was more important? ...It amazes me an issue this important would have been treated so shabbily."

It turns out that Capitol TV's 15 full-time staffers weren't otherwise occupied.
"The House leadership usually leaves it to the discretion of the individual chairpersons if they want to have their hearings on Capitol TV," said House Speaker William J. Murphy, who shares control of the legislature's television operation and its approximately $1.5-million budget. "In this case, Labor Chairman [Arthur] Corvese chose not to have the hearing televised. In the future, however, we will be re-evaluating this policy."

Why would Corvese block television coverage of the jammed hearing?

"I took the step of trying to keep things calm. I felt that cameras would only engender a circus-like atmosphere," he told Political Scene, adding that cameras generally encourage "the Bob Watsons of the world to politically grandstand which detracts from the points that are trying to be made."

"I don't think it was a mistake," he continued. "If I was to make the decision again, so it wouldn't be a circus-like atmosphere, so we could get some work done, I would do the same thing."

According to the speaker, however, Corvese might not have that chance.

Comments

Richard Glenn said:

I have to say this is such an eggregious breach of the public trust in favor of labor unions that it cries for punishment. I can't believe the low life, bottom feeding character of some of our legislators.

Link | October 31, 2009 5:19 PM
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