Another good one from the RK archives (9/16/05) while I'm out in California, speaking at Stanford and Berkeley about Netroots RisingI received the following from the Virginia Democratic Party about Bill "Enron of the Insurance Industry" Bolling, and thought I'd pass it along. For those of you who haven't heard, the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor worked for 21 years at the Virginia-based Reciprocal Group, an insurance company ?whose executives were found guilty of Enron-like fraud.? And, although Bolling claims to have only been a ?middle manager? at the company, he made $250,000+ per year ?in a company listing a mere $4 million in assets? (all information courtesy of the May 12, 2005 Washington Examiner
Amazingly, according to the Examiner article, Bolling claims to have no memory whatsoever of any wrongdoing at the company, which went bankrupt in 2003 ?with $770 million in unpaid claims," and which ?financially devastated thousands of doctors and lawyers as well as many hospitals across the country that relied on it for their malpractice insurance." Perhaps that will help jog his memory?
Anyway, here's the letter. Enjoy...and make sure you vote for Leslie Byrne on November 8!!
(Richmond, VA) Senator Mary Margaret Whipple called on Senator Bill Bolling to release all correspondence and other documentation he filed with the Virginia Bureau of Insurance, a department of the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Senator Whipple is also calling on Sen. Bolling to personally request the release of any documents on file with the Bureau of Insurance.
The Democratic Party of Virginia filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act on July 18, 2005 for any correspondence Senator Bill Bolling had with the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. The Virginia Bureau of Insurance denied the request for those documents on July 21, 2005 stating that the State Corporation Commission is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
Senator Bill Bolling has come under scrutiny for his role as Second Vice President of The Reciprocal Group, an insurance company that recently went into receivership with the State of Virginia. Other high-ranking Reciprocal executives have been sentenced to nearly two decades in federal prison for fraudulently inflating the company's worth. After the group's collapse, thousands of patients, hospitals, doctors and lawyers were left without coverage and payments due for injury.
"Virginians deserve a Lt. Governor who is open and honest," said Senator Whipple. "If Bill Bolling truly has nothing to hide about his involvement in The Reciprocal Group, he should voluntarily release any and all correspondence."
Bolling said that records like these should be available to the public. In 1998, he said, "I question why the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to the State Corporation Commission. I think that is something we need to look into." (Richmond Times Dispatch, 7/29/1998)
"I agree with Senator Bolling and we look forward to him releasing those documents and correspondence so that all the facts can be publicly aired," added Whipple.
The Freedom of Information Act Advisory Council also issued an opinion on August 9 stating that they believe the State Corporation Commission meets the definition of a public body and that "nothing in FOIA would prohibit the release of records you seek." (E-Mail from the FOIA Advisory Council Executive Director, 8/9/05
