WPCNR AROUND ALBANY. September 17, 2007: A WPCNR effort to get a clarification from Ms.  Camille Jobin-Davis, Assistant Director  of the New York State Committee on Open Government on her interpretation of how the Open Meetings Law applies to caucuses and policy-making in the press which she issued last week, as reported by City Hall, was stymied today by Ms. Jobin-Davis being unavailable. 

 WPCNR contacted the Open Government Committee to confirm whether she softened her original observation that Councilpersons Malmud. Now the City has to wait in suspense on hold until Ms. Jobin-Davis returns to the office next Monday. Efforts to have Ms. Jobin-Davis contact us from her undisclosed location were met with the information that “I guarantee she will not be contacting you.”

Robert Freeman, who is Director of the Committee on Open Government is also out of the office until Thursday. The woman fielding WPCNR’s call said Mr. Freeman would defer to Ms. Jobin-Davis on the issue. So, caucus etiquette  and the announcement of policy positions in the press guidelines – the final word—awaits the return of Ms. Jobin-Davis.  The Ms. Jobin-Davis absence during this week was planned in advance, the spokesperson said.