Gathering the public to discuss matters of civic importance represents a sound strategy for local government. For instance, voting is a cherished exercise and major alterations to how it is conducted should have broad community consensus.
So we appreciate the Hampton City Council's decision to hold two forums as members consider possible changes to election procedures. Yet we are surprised to see the council to so far exclude public discussion of another pressing matter: the steadily declining population of Hampton. Officials recently devoted another afternoon work session to the topic, brainstorming ways to accentuate the city's many positives, but have yet to call in the public for comment.
Daily Press
As Richmond’s chief administrative officer, Byron Marshall occupied a position that would enjoy Cabinet rank in Washington. His September resignation came as a shock. No explanations have been given for his departure. Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Times-Dispatch suggest the move was unplanned. According to the emails, Marshall was slated to participate in functions scheduled to occur after his abrupt resignation. Richmonders continue to scratch their heads. The administration of Mayor Dwight Jones is proving as transparent as a World War II blackout curtain. The situation undermines confidence in Jones. A full accounting would serve not only the city’s interests but his.
Times-Dispatch
The chief of staff called up, offering to find the state senator's daughter a position in Virginia's government. A family friend, who happens to be a sitting U.S. senator from Virginia, called up to “brainstorm” about potential opportunities. The opposition party offered a high-paying job with the state tobacco commission, while allowing the senator's daughter to be confirmed in her judgeship, if he did resign. Any one of those situations seems enough to be considered a political scandal. Yet all of that combined doesn't seem to register, despite several people admitting they at least played a part. We wonder what makes this situation so different from the one former Gov. Bob McDonnell found himself facing over the last year? Maybe the McDonnell trial is part of the problem. After a year of going through details of what the McDonnells did to benefit Star Scientific, maybe people are too tired of this kind of thing to be concerned. But we would argue this issue, which shifted control of the General Assembly, is actually bigger than what was done for a campaign donor.
News Virginian
Federal appellate courts have upheld a First Amendment right to record police in cases including Glik v. Cunniffe in 2011, Smith v. Cummings in 2000 and Fordyce v. City of Seattle in 1995, all of which The Justice Department cited in its statement in the Garcia case. The near-total silence of politicians in dealing with the question of the public’s right to record what they see and hear suggests that many legislators may also find these cases inconvenient. Actions against citizen videographers run against not just the Constitution but good public policy. Yet, without a videotape, Rodney King would have been just another guy with a prior record claiming abuse, against the word of multiple officers. The outcome once was all but inevitable: no tape, no case. As long as police abuse is out of sight, it can also be out of mind. Recording police would guarantee that a Rodney King is never repeated.
E. Alan Anstine, Star-Exponent