Gov. Bruce Rauner revealed Wednesday that he no longer uses e-mail during a speech on education funding Wednesday at a Springfield high school.
"I have no e-mail," Rauner said. "None whatsoever."
The governor said the shift has improved his quality of life and made him more productive.
Rauner cited "spams" as a reason for not using e-mail and claims he is a more effective communicator in person or on the phone.
"E-mail causes all kinds of trouble, as you've seen," Rauner said. "I'll talk to somebody, I want to look somebody in the eye."
Rauner noted that he has two cell phones, one for government work and one for his family.
Local
Rauner's choice to not use e-mail means there is no record of his conversations on policies or initiatives that could be made public by Illinois' open records laws.
The tranparency of Rauner's office has been called into question recently after Attorney General Lisa Madigan found Rauner was withholding more of his daily schedule than was allowed under public record laws.
"(T)his office's review of the redacted entries indicates that they all appear to pertain to the business of the state, rather than the personal affairs or private business interests of the governor," the ruling read. "Because the governor's calendar was prepared and is maintained by the governor's office and pertains to public business, it is a public record of the governor's office for purposes of the Illinois FOIA."
The ruling was the result of an Illinois Times lawsuit.
