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Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Commentary: Currie Verdict Shows We Reporters Are Wasting Our Time

The not guilty verdict in the corruption trial of state Sen. Ulysses Currie clearly shows how we State House reporters have been wasting our time checking financial disclosure statements.

Dutifully – well, at least occasionally on a slow day — we would walk over to the 45 Calvert Street offices of the State Ethics Commission in Annapolis and ask to see the annual statements from elected and appointed officials.

To get the records, we’d hand over our driver’s license to be copied and pay 25 cents a page for documents that were often filed electronically, but not available over the Internet, the way they are in many states.

Officials filling out the forms can ask to be notified when someone requests their financial disclosure forms. Some are notified by phone, I found out one day.

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