Blogs

Tom Jackman article in today's Washington Post covers the simmering controversy over the flash-in-the-pan logo for Prince William County.

Here's the breakdown:

What we gained. What we learned. And how government transparency is an ongoing conversation.

What are people doing prior to the July 1 effective date of the new law banning release of concealed handgun permit applications?

Anyone who looks at any Virginia newspaper or website has seen the articles by now recapping the in-person meeting of gubernatorial candidates Ken Cuccinelli (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D) at the annual fundraiser for the Virginia Public Access Project.

Good piece today in the Daily Press about York County facing a $7 million tax refund bill if the owners of a defunct area refinery win their tax abatement appeal.

The issue came to light because of an email obtained by a York County resident through a FOIA request. The resident forwarded it to the paper, and the story soon followed.

In my job, I get to hear from folks all over the state, usually when they've been denied a request for records. This week alone I've heard.....

Dear justices of the United States Supreme Court -

Your ruling Monday did not surprise me. You said that it's OK for Virginia's FOIA to reject FOIA requests made by residents from other states. Virginia is for lovers, you said, but not for out-of-state FOIA requesters.

A lot of ink has been spilled over the years about whether government can or should be run as a business. Whole political philosophies have developed in praise of or eschewing the notion. Personally, I don't know which side has it right, at least in terms of planning, management, budgeting, etc. But I do know one area where the two don't mix, where government cannot and should not be operated like a business: access to public records and, particularly, public meetings.

Yesterday, the governor signed a bill that will conceal all concealed handgun permit applications. Supporters rejoiced. Open government groups did not. In the process, my opposition is deemed "leftist anti-gun lunacy."

It is nothing of the sort. I just don't believe that the government -- specifically the courts -- should be able to administer a government-mandated permitting process in total secrecy.

"The Freedom of Information Act is ridiculous."

Yes, someone actually said that. Someone who works for a publicly funded institution. Someone who had the ear of a public body that performs public functions. A public body who, by the way, has the power to remove the president of one of the nation's most prestigious universities without warning and without consensus.