Dispute over Governor’s Papers
May Require Mediator
Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore said August 1 that he wants out of the fight between former Gov. Jim Gilmore and the Library of Virginia over Gilmore’s official papers, prompting critics to suggest that Kilgore’s role as counsel to the library conflicts with his ability to fairly interpret the law guiding the deposit of gubernatorial papers.
Instead, Kilgore wants current Governor Mark R. Warner to authorize hiring private lawyers—to be paid with taxpayer dollars—for Yelich and Gilmore, a step that could push the dispute closer to a court fight. The Warner administration might consider calling a mediator to settle the dispute and avoid a lawsuit, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported August 6.
State Librarian Nolan T. Yelich claims the Gilmore administration is withholding, and may have destroyed, documents essential to the historical record, while Gilmore says he has turned over everything to which the library is legally entitled.
Posted August 12, 2002.
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