Transparency News 7/29/14

Tuesday, July 29, 2014  
State and Local Stories

The lawyers for former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, filed the following list of witnesses Monday as the trial of McDonnells got under way in U.S. District Court.
Times-Dispatch

The U.S. government filed the following list of prosecution witnesses Monday as the trial of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, got under way in U.S. District Court.
Times-Dispatch

Around 6 p.m. Monday, jury selection in the federal corruption trial of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, was nearly complete. Twelve jurors were seated to hear the case and four alternates selected. U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer thanked the prospective jurors for their service and joked that he was aware that many considered themselves lucky not to have been called.“Pray for the rest of us,” Spencer joked. The jury consists of eight males and four females. Three jurors are black.
Times-Dispatch

We’re both older and younger, and whiter and poorer than the average for Virginia. We’re also the third fastest-growing area of the state. That’s the profile of Central Virginia, as drawn by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. The profile, one of eight the center developed for regions across the state, is based on recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics and the center’s population estimates.
Daily Progress

Arlington County Board members on July 24 formalized a policy allowing them to conduct meetings with board members participating electronically. The 4-0 vote follows a General Assembly requirement that localities ratify any previous informal arrangements to allow elected officials to phone or videoconference in when they cannot physically be present at meetings. Under the policy adopted on July 24, County Board members can request to participate electronically up to two times per year in cases of emergency absences; there would be no limit on the number of times they could do it if the absence resulted in a physical disability. In order to meet, there would still need to be a quorum of three County Board members physically present. 
Inside NOVA

The Town of Leesburg has launched a mobile device app that allows users to submit service requests directly from their smartphones or tablet devices. Through the Leesburg 311 app, residents can submit requests for bulk item pickup; report trash, recycling or yard waste collection problems; provide feedback on services at Ida Lee Park Recreation Center, the A.V. Symington Aquatic Center and other park facilities and recreation programs; and report concerns about their water and sewer service. The app is available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play. In addition, the service can be accessed from the Town website at www.leesburgva.gov/leesburg311. Users can track their requests via either the website interface or the mobile app to see the status and final resolution of issues.
Leesburg Today

The issue of police brutality was recently brought before Petersburg City Council as the case of Devin Thomas, a local teenager apprehended after attempting to take a cell phone video of police, makes its way through the court system. During a July 22 meeting, one Petersburg resident told City Council he wanted to see better relations between police and citizens. Ylyahkim Yisrayl, of North Jefferson Street, asked that the city make strides to improve those relations. He said the police should work harder to develop stronger community relations. He also said that preventing citizens from filming arrests was a violation of First Amendment rights. "I suggest having workshops that explain the rights of citizens and the duties of a police officer, and what are the rights of citizens to videotape explained by police officers," he said.
Progress-Index

National Stories

U.S. surveillance programs are making it more difficult for government officials to speak to the press anonymously, two rights groups said on Monday. Large-scale surveillance, on top of the Obama administration's crackdown on national security leaks, threatens the freedom of the press and the right to legal counsel, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union said in a joint report. The National Security Agency's surveillance programs, which include the collection of telephone "metadata," have heightened government officials' concerns about dealing with the media, as "any interaction - any email, any phone call - risks leaving a digital trace that could subsequently be used against them," the report said.
Reuters

The Texas Ethics Commission fined the head of a conservative advocacy group for failing to register as a lobbyist, but the organization’s leader argues that he should not have to pay because he runs a media organization. Michael Quinn Sullivan is president of Empower Texans, which provides news and information to promote fiscal responsibility in the state government. In June, the ethics commission fined Sullivan $10,000 after finding that he is a paid lobbyist who failed to register in 2010 and 2011. Sullivan plans to file an appeal in state court, said his attorney, Joseph Nixon of Beirne, Maynard & Parsons.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

D.C. officials and other observers have been scratching their heads over the odd timing of a federal judge’s ruling that tossed out D.C. gun laws banning the carrying of handguns in public. The ruling, which was dated Thursday, was made public Saturday — when courts are closed and city government is shut down for the weekend. Was it a conspiracy to prevent the city from filing for a stay that would prevent the order from taking effect? Was it a politically calculated effort to bury what might be an unpopular piece of news? Turns out it was just a computer glitch.
Washington Times
 

Editorials/Columns

We frequently emphasize the importance of transparency in government, but it's a lesson lost on Hampton school officials. Their recent decision to give pay raises to top administrators shows they just don't get it. Under the plan, the school system will pay its leadership less in the 2014-15 fiscal year than in 2013-14. But, given the contentious budget process that concluded in April, it seems insensitive to give more money to those at the top when those at the bottom were asked to sacrifice.Had school officials spelled out their intention publicly, had they patiently explained the plan and the reasons behind it, and had they invited a community discussion, they might have been spared the public's outrage. Instead, fearful of scrutiny, they deliberately concealed their actions.
Daily Press

Federal officials have been drafting rules to make the transportation of crude by rail safer. The proposal was released last week, and would see older train cars phased out, strict speed limits imposed and other reasonable steps taken to reduce the danger in case of an accident. Most importantly, Washington would require rail companies to disclose information to emergency responders so they can prepare when the oil trains pass through populated areas. This is an overdue remedy to a growing problem and should be accepted protocol as soon as possible.
Daily Press

A long-running fiction will be exposed this week: Virginia is not as ethically clean as it portrays itself. The federal corruption trial that began Monday in Richmond against former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, will lay bare the couple's unseemly quest for money while in office. We've all read the list of items prosecutors say the McDonnells received - including private plane rides, expensive clothes and loans - in exchange for helping to promote a businessman's company. No matter the outcome, the charges have jettisoned any hope that McDonnell could seek elective office again. State officials patted themselves on the back after enacting changes this year. However, they won't do much to bolster confidence among residents.
Roger Chesley, Virginian-Pilot

In the wake of a somewhat hazy Supreme Court ruling regarding public officials’ right to make Christian invocations at board meetings, Chesterfield’s Board of Supervisors has decided to limit its own pre-session prayers to board members. That’s a good step, though the county could do even better.
Times-Dispatch

For five years, former University of Virginia climate researcher Michael Mann has been dogged by “Climategate,” a misguided effort by climate-change deniers to discredit a scientist and his worthwhile work. Last week, the Virginia Supreme Court ordered the conservative group that unsuccessfully sued Mr. Mann and U.Va. in order to get at his unpublished research and related emails to pay him $250 in damages. Clearly, it’s not the size of the award that matters here, it’s the principle of the thing. In other words, the message to those who would waste the court’s time, and divert attention from efforts to combat climate change and prepare for it, is simply this: Knock it off.
Free Lance-Star

In 2009, before Mann’s problems began, Greenpeace started attacking scientists it calls “climate deniers,” focusing its venom on seven scientists at four institutions, including the University of Virginia and University of Delaware. This anti-humanity group claimed its effort would “bring greater transparency to the climate science discussion” through “educational and other charitable public interest activities.” (If you believe that, send your bank account number to those Nigerians with millions in unclaimed cash.) UVA administrators quickly agreed to turn over all archived records belonging to Dr. Patrick Michaels, a prominent climate chaos skeptic who had recently retired from the university. They did not seem to mind that no press coverage ensued, and certainly none that was critical of these Spanish Inquisition tactics. However, when the American Tradition Institute later filed a similar FOIA request for Dr. Mann’s records, UVA marshaled the troops and launched a media circus, saying conservatives were harassing a leading climate scientist.The AGU, American Meteorological Society and American Association of University Professors (the nation’s college faculty union) rushed forward to lend their support. All the while, in a remarkable display of hypocrisy and double standards, UVA and these organizations continued to insist it was proper and ethical to turn all of Dr. Michaels’ material over to Greenpeace.
Paul Driessen, The Moral Liberal