State government public information officers were instructed by Gov. Mike Easley’s press office to delete e-mails to and from the Governor’s Office, according to notes released today by the governor’s office.

Andrew A. Vanore Jr., a lawyer who works for Easley, produced notes made by two public information officers showing that they and others were told at a meeting on May 29, 2007, to destroy e-mails. A third public information officer said he also recalled those instructions.

But Vanore said the notes don’t mean what they say. He also said the instructions were not followed.

The News & Observer had requested the notes of the periodic meetings of the public information officers.

Questions about the way the Easley administration handles e-mails arose after publication of an N&O series, “Mental Disorder: The Failure of Reform,” which ended March 2. The series reported on an ill-conceived and poorly executed mental health reform plan on which the state has wasted at least $400 million.

Two days after the series ended, Easley ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to fire its public information officer, Debbie Crane. Later that day, Crane told The N&O that the governor’s press office had directed that e-mails be deleted to bypass the state’s public records law.

Easley’s chief legal counsel, Reuben F. Young, and his deputy press secretary, Seth Effron, quickly denied that such instructions had been given.

Young, who has been vacationing with his family in China, could not be reached for comment. Effron has been instructed by Vanore not to comment.

Vanore, who was chief deputy attorney general under Easley before Easley was elected governor in 2000 and who has continued to work part time for the governor on a contract basis, was assigned to handle this matter in Young’s absence.

Julia Jarema, public information officer at the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, recorded this note for the meeting in question: “Public records request — increasing careful of email delete emails to/from gov. office every day."

Diana Kees, public information officer at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, recorded this note: “emails - more & more public records requests (blogs?) be careful w/emails; delete emails to and from gov office every day."

Vanore said he did not know what the notes meant.

“It could be interpreted a number of different ways, and the only way to properly interpret it would be to talk to the individual who took the note,” he said. But he said he had instructed all of the employees not to talk about that issue because The N&O may file a lawsuit.

For more on this story, return here tomorrow or read tomorrow's print edition of The News & Observer.

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