http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2011/11/17/before-leaving-office-romney-staff-wiped-records/xIVEQd87zi0X0tl8KrXKYM/story.htmlSecretary of State William F. Galvin, who oversees the state Public Records Law, said it appeared odd that state property - in this case, hard drives - was essentially being sold to private individuals.
“I don’t sell things to people who work for me,’’ said Galvin, a Democrat. “I’ve heard of people getting their chair or something as a gift. But generally if you work for me you don’t take your laptop with you when you leave.’’
Galvin pointed out that, in 1997, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that “the governor is not explicitly included’’ in the Public Records Law. He said that means that e-mails don’t have to be released to the public, but the governor’s office still has to preserve them and turn them over to the state archivist.
“They have an obligation as a public official to preserve their records,’’ Galvin said. “Electronic records are held to the same standard as paper records. There’s no question. They’re not in some lesser standard.’’