The vote on the appointment of Alexander Duncan III as principal of Washington-Liberty High School and other new staff came before the Arlington County School Board meeting’s public-comment period. However, that didn’t stop speakers from voicing their concerns about the process leading to the new principal’s selection. Chair Mary Kadera asked speakers to discuss the principal-selection matter in broad terms, without specifically referencing Duncan or Willmore. “This is not the forum for individual personnel matters,” she said. “It’s a matter of professional courtesy and respect.”
The Fauquier County School Board approved an amendment to Superintendent Major Warner’s upcoming contract during its June 9 meeting, updating his compensation based on the results of his annual performance evaluation. The board voted unanimously to adopt the amendment following a closed session discussion. Scott District representative Clay Campbell did not participate in the vote. Before the board entered closed session, Campbell raised concerns regarding the evaluation process. Addressing Chair Susan Pauling, he objected to what he said was the removal of his ratings and comments from the compiled evaluation summary that had been shared with board members. He stated his input had been excluded from the final document, although it would not have changed the outcome of the evaluation. Campbell also noted he had previously met with Warner to provide feedback. Pauling responded by clarifying the format of the evaluation differed from the division’s prior 360-degree review conducted in December.
Back to Comey. I filed a request late last month with the Secret Service for a wide range of documents about the ‘86 47’ investigation, including a copy of the transcript of agents’ May 16 interview with the former FBI director. Based on my review of previous documents related to Secret Service investigations, the Comey probe should have been closed by now. Also, documents related to the probe would certainly be minimal. Yet on Tuesday, the Secret Service sent me a letter in response to my FOIA request indicating the investigation was still ongoing. The letter said the agency was denying my request for documents about the investigation and Comey’s Instagram post, citing FOIA’s Exemption 7a. That exemption allows an agency to withhold “records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that production of such law enforcement records or information … could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.” Bloomberg
“Democracies die behind closed doors.” ~ U.S. District Judge Damon Keith, 2002
