We like the fact that new Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has hit the ground running, handing down directives and signing a series of executive orders on a wide variety of topics.

Among several, one specific executive order got our attention out of the gate, the document that flat out bans the use of private email accounts and, presumably private email servers, when government business is being handled.

This is one of those things that, it would seem, would fall under common sense. But clearly it doesn’t.

There can be no doubt the use of a private email server while she was secretary of state severely harmed Hillary Clinton’s run at the presidency in 2016.

And closer to home, when Whitmer’s predecessor, Gov. Rick Snyder, voluntarily released thousands of pages of emails related to the Flint water crisis, some emails showed Snyder and his staff using their personal accounts, The Associated Press reported. AP stated that the liberal advocacy group Progress Michigan sued after then-Attorney General Bill Schuette — Whitmer’s later rival for governor — rejected a public records request for his and his employees’ private emails used for official work.

Whether there is any real compromise of information, the optics are really bad. Put another way, it looks like the public official is trying to hide something, even if they aren’t.

With Whitmer’s executive order, there can be no doubt what state policy on the matter is.

Don’t do it — period.