Transparency News, 6/30/21

 

After going online because of the pandemic, zoning decisions and regulatory hearings on Zoom are coming to an end, for the most part. Boards and commissions across the state are having to adjust how they do business. During a Virginia Redistricting Commission Meeting last week, commissioner Jose Feliciano reminded members that when they met this week would determine where they met. Virginia’s state of emergency allowing public bodies to meet virtually expires on June 30th. Come July, electronic meetings will mostly go away. The Redistricting Commission, for example, will need to have a quorum in one physical location before members could join virtually. Megan Rhyne of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government says in-person meetings have subtleties that let citizens know about the dynamics of boards and politics. “It’s about seeing people’s reactions. It’s about the side conversations that happen,” she said.
WVTF

A group of Hampton Roads voters filed a petition against powerful state Sen. Louise Lucas last week and triggered something never done before: the potential recall of a Virginia lawmaker. Experts say this is likely the first time a group of voters has tested the state’s law for a recall trial against a state legislator. At least five political science experts interviewed by The Virginian-Pilot couldn’t remember it happening before. Democratically elected state leaders are rarely the subject of a recall here and across the country. In Virginia, a petition from voters prompts a trial in Circuit Court to determine whether the state official should be removed. It’s a judicial process rather than an electoral one, and this is the only state that does it this way, said Karen Hult, a political science professor at Virginia Tech.
The Virginian-Pilot

In a special-called meeting, Lynchburg City Council on Tuesday reappointed two current members and added a new face to the Lynchburg City School Board.  During the past several weeks, council received applications for the three seats, released the names of the applicants, held two public hearings regarding the applicants, released the names of those applicants chosen to be interviewed and held closed-session interviews with the candidates. On Monday, council made the recordings of those interviews available to the public, by request, before appointments were made.
The News & Advance

Six men and two women responded to a series of questions Tuesday during the first round of interviews aimed at selecting a new member of Bristol City Council. All were asked the same series of questions regarding their vision for the city, ideas on how to address its challenges, priorities for developing an operating budget, funding for the solid waste operations, working with other individuals or agencies, the importance of education and if their schedules would allow them to attend and participate in both council meetings and all of the related committees they might serve on. Following the interviews, three of four council members went into a closed session about 8:30 Tuesday to discuss their initial impressions. Councilman Kevin Wingard again refused to participate in any meeting that excludes members of the public and news media.
Bristol Herald Courier

Richmond City Hall paid nearly a quarter of one million dollars for an independent review of the police department, and potential misconduct when officers responded to months of protests, and riots last summer. A $219,000 payment was approved for Arlington-based The CNA Corporation according to a purchase order dated July 22, 2020–8News obtained this and other documents related to the review through a Freedom of Information Act request. The review is said to focus on the police department’s ‘use of force’ policy, and tear gas, as well as deescalation and implicit bias training.
WRIC