By LAWRENCE McCONNELL
President
Virginia Coalition for Open Government
In the business world, the quantitative often can reveal much about the qualitative. And, as the incoming president of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, I’ve reviewed some of the numbers associated with the coalition — numbers that I think you’d agree tell a positive story about the impact of our organization on open government in our state.
Twenty-seven: The number of our expanded board of directors, as approved in a by-laws change at our November board meeting. This change is an effort to continue to broaden the diversity of our coalition. The composition of our board will add two additional at-large members to our board, joining 13 like members, five members each from the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, plus the executive directors of each association. This change should enhance the voice of our coalition on the board, and further reflect the interests of a variety of professions and constituencies, from media lawyers to educators, from librarians to elected officials.
Twenty: The average number of questions submitted by citizens through the coalition’s Web site each month. That’s about one question every business day of every month. Our executive director, Megan Rhyne, undertakes to carefully research and answer each inquiry. Some can be fairly simple to field; others require some detailed digging. In addition to the Web site questions, we answer dozens more questions submitted each month on the phone or through direct e-mail. The coalition is one of the few places the average citizen in Virginia can turn for a solid answer to a question about access to public records and meetings.
Five Hundred and Thirty-Three: The number of FOI opinions we have archived and maintained on www.opengovva.org for public access. That includes opinions on the Freedom of Information Act rendered by the courts, the FOI Advisory Council, and the state attorney general’s office. There’s no place else citizens can turn to get this omnibus listing of FOI opinions in Virginia.
Two Hundred and Sixty-Three: Our daily listserv has that number of folks signed up as subscribers to a first-alert service about FOI issues. We pledge that it is “an announce-only, no-discussion, low-traffic e-mail service, providing concise reports and deep links to online, access, First Amendment and FOI-related stories .” Again, nowhere else can citizens sign up for a timely service such as this.
One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty: Since January 2005, we’ve sent at least this many listserv posts out to subscribers. That’s some service!
Two Hundred and Ninety-Two: This is the number of people across the state who’ve signed up to receive our e-mail-only version of the VCOG newsletter, published at least twice each year. This comprehensive publication is primarily written, produced and directed by Megan, and provides a detailed overview of the latest developments in access to government records and meetings, as well as timely previews and updates on legislation affecting all Virginians. You’re reading it now, either in the printed version or the e-mail flavor.
Eighty-four: VCOG tracked this number of bills doggedly through the 2008 General Assembly session, keeping coalition members and citizens abreast of developments affecting access in the commonwealth. Although she’ll be making her first tour of duty as a lobbyist on behalf of the coalition in the “short” session this January, Megan is no stranger to the legislative halls. In her assistant’s role under former Executive Director Frosty Landon, Megan attended meetings of key subcommittees and testified on occasion when Frosty had to be somewhere else.
Nine: The number of conferences that the coalition has presented since its founding more than a decade ago. We’re already in the planning stages for another conference at our annual membership meeting, scheduled for October in Staunton. Stay tuned for details about what promises to be a compelling program.
These are impressive numbers, to be sure. The numbers that really matter, however, are the members — those who support the work of the Virginia Coalition with their dues and their participation. I’m excited and honored to be the new president of the coalition. I look forward to our board, our committees and our membership continuing to build on the solid foundation that’s now in place for an organization that’s been emulated throughout the nation.
Lawrence McConnell is the publisher of The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress and has been a VCOG board member since 1998. You can reach Mr. McConnell at LMcConnell@dailyprogress.com.