Braun appoints new leader for troubled public access counselor’s office

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun selected a new chief for public access requests and grievances, after months of complaints about his previous pick’s responsiveness.

Brittney Long, who has been deputy general counsel for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, will serve as the state’s next public access counselor, the governor’s office said Friday. Her first day is Monday.

“Brittney has the legal credentials and passion for public service that makes her an excellent fit for the job,” Braun said in the announcement. “As our next PAC, Brittney will bring added transparency and accountability to our state.”

Long was a magistrate judge for the Bartholomew County Circuit Court from 2022 until March. Previously, she spent nearly 11 years as a law clerk and attorney at the Indianapolis law firm Voyles Lukemeyer Baldwin Webb & Helmond.

Long will replace Public Access Counselor Jennifer Ruby, whom Braun appointed in March 2025. Her tenure has been plagued by complaints of no or slow responses, with some news media organizations threatening a lawsuit over delays.

In reaction, Braun diverted two full-time staffers from his office — one legal and the other administrative — to Ruby’s office “until the backlog is resolved,” spokesman Griffin Reid said at the time. “Additionally, to ensure the greatest transparency, the PAC will post metrics weekly on the office website to indicate the number of outstanding and resolved requests.”

Ruby is one of just three employees for the office, to which lawmakers gave $339,000 annually in the last two-year budget. Governor’s office Deputy General Counsel Trent Bennett earns nearly a third of the $317,000 spent on salaries but doesn’t handle public access work.

The State Personnel Department didn’t immediately respond Friday to a request for comment about the circumstances of Ruby’s departure.

The Office of the Public Access Counselor provides guidance on state public records and open meeting laws: it responds to informal inquiries on the laws, issues non-binding advisory opinions, recommends improvements to the Indiana General Assembly, educates officials and Hoosiers on rights and responsibilities, and more, according to the office’s website.