Michigan’s new secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, has released details of her personal finances. But, as Capital Correspondent Rick Pluta explains, she says this sort of disclosure should be required of all state elected officials.
Benson, a Democrat, says Michigan suffers from low trust of public officials, and it will be up to public officials to help restore people’s confidence in state government.
“There’s a reason why 48 other states and the federal government require this of their elected officials.” Benson said.
Republicans like state Representative Steve Johnson are not entirely on board.
“I support voluntary disclosure, which I have voluntarily taken myself. I want to see how that goes over before we do a mandated approach.” Said Johnson.
Johnson is a sponsor of legislation to create a uniform system for voluntary disclosure. But he says voters should be decide whether non-disclosure is a deal-breaker for them.
