Greensboro, North Carolina News & Record staff writer Eric Swensen provides an update on the polygraphing of the city council and mayor. Some of those polygraphed aren’t saying how they fared on the box. Excerpt:
GREENSBORO — Exam week will come to an end today with polygraph tests of three more City Council members. But what’s unclear is when results will be made public and what impact they might have.
Eight of the council’s nine members voted last month to submit to lie-detector tests to publicly state their innocence in the leak of a police department investigative report to the News & Record. But only Sandy Carmany, Florence Gatten and Sandra Anderson Groat have divulged an outcome: They said they passed but wouldn’t provide any other details.
The city’s top elected official, Mayor Keith Holliday, was tested Wednesday and would not say how he fared. Tom Phillips responded similarly Tuesday.
Some council members said Wednesday there had been no discussion about how to release the polygraph results in part because they’re busy with other issues.
“The only people really going crazy over the polygraphs are the media,” Carmany said, adding that she’s frustrated the media has downplayed other council business in favor of polygraph coverage.
Holliday and Carmany said the reasons for the council not coordinating the release of results also include time spent on other issues, including a department-by-department review of city spending and discussion of a likely November bond referendum.
News & Record reader Chuck Mann voices his approval of the ongoing polygraph sessions, suggesting some additional questions for the city council:
A question for council
I think it is great that the Greensboro City Council has voted in favor of voluntarily taking lie detector tests. Since the council works for the people of Greensboro, shouldn’t we have the right to submit questions that they can be asked?
I think they should be asked if they have done anything unethical or illegal since they have been elected to office. I assume that most of them would not refuse to answer that question, unless they have something to hide.
Chuck Mann
Greensboro