Gov. Tom Wolf Monday announced his administration will reinstate Erik Arneson as executive director of the Office of Open Records pending appeal and not insist on its right to stay the Commonwealth Court’s order. The Wolf Administration will continue its appeal to restore the governor’s executive authority under the Pennsylvania constitution.
Gov. Wolf released the following statement:
"My administration will reinstate Erik Arneson as executive director of the Office of Open Records pending the Supreme Court’s review of our appeal to restore the executive authority of the governor. Openness and transparency is a top priority for me as governor, and in taking this step, I hope and expect that Mr. Arneson will join us in achieving these goals.
“We will pursue our appeal with the state’s Supreme Court because we believe that in its ruling, a 4-3 majority of the Commonwealth Court improperly eroded the governor's executive authority under the Pennsylvania constitution. This ruling is inconsistent with previous case law and President Judge Pellegrini, in his dissent, described the majority opinion as ripping holes in the constitutional powers of the governor, leaving governors with ‘swiss cheese executive authority.’
“Therefore, my administration will move forward to ask the Supreme Court to restore the proper balance of constitutional powers.”
