Nearly 60 people gathered at the old Craddock Terry shoe factory in Lynchburg to talk about open-government news of the day, including the ins and outs of the UVA/BOV leadership crisis over the summer and the use of sectarian prayer at public meetings.
During the panel on UVA, activist Joan Fenton says she got involved in part because she realized that she could help without personal risk, that is, she wasn't a student, professor or anyone else who could suffer reprisals for speaking out against the Board of Visitors. UVA professor Walter Heinecke, who now teaches a course on the incident, speculated that because BOV members hail from business backgrounds, many aren't well versed in the requirements of public meetings laws. The Cavalier Daily's Matt Cameron said the paper he edits was able to mobilize quickly, even though the staff was on summer break, and by keeping FOIA requests narrowed, they were able to get documents quickly.
Roger Christman, the point-person for the Library of Virginia's project to archive the Kaine administration's email, gave an update on the task, which has taken far longer than anyone imagined. He shared samples of many of the email and noted that he while poring over the hundreds of thousands of messages, he is constantly reminded that the people writing these messages are human, not just caricatures of politicians.
NFOIC director Ken Bunting gave the keynote address in which he touted the national organization's litigation reimbursement fund and explained how sometimes litigation is the only way to move the ideals of open government forward.
A roundtable discussion on FOIA litigation against localities followed, with a newspaper editor, local government attorney, FOIA ombudsman, city manager and citizen activist sharing war stories. Joe Stinnett, from Lynchburg's News & Advance, and Lynchburg City Manager Kimball Payne were collegial, which they noted is not always the case in a locality. Payne also noted that, for better or worse, sometimes a FOIA request is perceived as hostile. Instead, he urged people to just talk to him and ask him questions.
The day wrapped up with review of what the state and federal courts covering Virginia have to say about sectarian prayer during public meetings. Washington & Lee professor Ann Massie cited a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case that makes it clear that praying on behalf of a particular religion violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. She questioned whether the new policy of non-sectarian prayer adopted by Roanoke County would survive, but also noted that a moment of silence would likely withstand a challenge.
VCOG's annual conference raised over $7,500.