Transparency News 7/7/16
Thursday, July 7, 2016
State and Local Stories
The newest iteration of Hampton's City Council, complete with a new member and a new mayor, came together for the first time Wednesday for a day-long retreat focused on setting priorities and building trust and communication. New Mayor Donnie Tuck opened the day with a frank and, at times, uncomfortable address to the council he now leads, explaining that he wants to open up lines of communication between council members and to let everyone get to know the people behind the votes. Tuck also alluded to issues he had in the past where he felt that being the odd man out left him in the dark. "It's awkward to say this publicly, but there were times that I knew and at least one other person on council recognized that I was being excluded from discussionsand outreach," among council members and the city manager, Tuck said.
Daily Press
The Lynchburg Police Department will have a public meeting regarding body worn cameras on Wednesday, July 13. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chamber City Hall at 900 Church St. Information will be provided regarding the police department’s policies that will govern the use of the cameras, the technology involved and how the cameras will be used.
News & Advance
After almost five years as Dumfries town manager, Dan Taber said he resigned Tuesday night during a closed session of the town council meeting. “I made a decision to pursue retirement and as a result, I resigned my position as town manager of the town of Dumfries and the town council accepted my resignation,” Taber said Wednesday afternoon. Dumfries Mayor Jerry Foreman on Wednesday morning declined to comment on anything that was done in closed session. After the closed session, the council voted to confirm some board and committee assignments and name Cliff Brewer as vice mayor. As for personnel, Foreman said, it would “proceed as directed.” Asked Wednesday if that meant anything happened in closed session regarding personnel and the meaning of “proceed as directed,” Foreman said he could not comment further and the public statement meant “proceed as directed.”
Inside NOVA
One of Metro’s new board members has potential conflicts of interests because of his day jobas a Washington transportation lawyer, raising concern among some that his appointment could fuel perceptions that special interests have undue influence at the transit agency, Metro officials said. Board member David L. Strickland’s first conflict could arise because he is a partner at the Venable law firm, which is Metro’s top legal adviser on labor negotiations, the officials said.
Washington Post
National Stories
“This is exactly where conspiracy theories come from. When you withhold information, nearly everybody assumes the worst.” — Howard Finkelstein, a public defender in Florida, where the Orlando police are refusing to release the 911 calls -- which are public record -- from the mass shooting at a gay nightclub last month.
Governing
Editorials/Columns
Governor McAuliffe and the General Assembly should make strengthening transparency and accountability [at UVA] a priority for the 2017 session through a few simple measures. First, they should ensure that the women and men appointed to serve our public colleges understand and pledge to uphold their primary duty to Virginia citizens. Requiring significantly more rigorous orientation and training delivered by independent, objective sources would help board members see through a wider lens than that of administrators. Having witnessed abuse of Virginia’s sunshine laws by out-of-state appointees in order to increase in-state tuition by double digits, I believe legislators should stipulate that only Virginians be allowed to serve as board officers and chairs of certain critical committees. The so-called “legislative liaisons” employed directly by colleges and universities should be subject to the same registration and reporting laws as all lobbyists, and the records of all officers — including college presidents — should be subject to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Finally, requiring public comment periods at board meetings and creating accountability back to the taxpayers they serve would bring higher education into the modern world of governance.
Helen Dragas, Washington Post
What do Republican former Gov. Bob McDonnell and Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton have in common? The answer, at first glance, would seem to be “nothing.” Their politics could hardly be further apart. But both, despite escaping accusations of criminal wrongdoing, remain tarred with doubts regarding their judgment and ethics.
Daily Progress
HILLARY CLINTON lied about the private email system she used when she was secretary of state. She lied about why she used it and lied about the risks it posed to America. Her lies were positively Nixonian, a brazen dare that authorities wouldn’t be able to prove that she violated standards and the law, and that her station made her immune from prosecution. Her lies were inspired by a deep mistrust of political enemies both real and imagined, a paranoia so complete that it led Clinton to doubt the very people who work so hard to keep this nation’s secrets.
Virginian-Pilot
The FBI’s report is damning. The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza explained it this way: The good news is that Mrs. Clinton has escaped prosecution. The bad news? “Just about everything else.” Because “FBI Director James B. Comey dismantled large portions of Clinton’s long-told story. ... While Comey exonerated Clinton, legally speaking, he provided huge amounts of fodder that could badly hamstring her in the court of public opinion,” he wrote.
Daily News Record
The episode served to shine a spotlight on Virginia’s malleable campaign-finance and ethics laws, which seem to encourage low-grade corruption even though the Old Dominion has not been hit with the levels of malfeasance that can be found in places like Illinois or, closer to home, in Maryland. Legislators in recent sessions went through the motions in affixing fig leafs to the gaping inadequacies in state law. But there is little interest, apparently, for true reform. Former Gov. McDonnell may not have been deserving of prison time, but that doesn’t soften the reality that the commonwealth’s campaign and ethics rules were, and to a large extent remain, far too anemic for the public good.
Arlington Sun Gazette
It's been an article of undisputed faith among Florida cops, prosecutors and journalists for decades that phone calls to 911 are public records. So media lawyers were flabbergasted last month when Orlando police refused to turn over recordings of the 911 calls made during the murderous shootout inside the Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead. At the same time, they weren't surprised at all.
Glenn Garvin, Governing
The newest iteration of Hampton's City Council, complete with a new member and a new mayor, came together for the first time Wednesday for a day-long retreat focused on setting priorities and building trust and communication. New Mayor Donnie Tuck opened the day with a frank and, at times, uncomfortable address to the council he now leads, explaining that he wants to open up lines of communication between council members and to let everyone get to know the people behind the votes. Tuck also alluded to issues he had in the past where he felt that being the odd man out left him in the dark. "It's awkward to say this publicly, but there were times that I knew and at least one other person on council recognized that I was being excluded from discussionsand outreach," among council members and the city manager, Tuck said.
Daily Press
The Lynchburg Police Department will have a public meeting regarding body worn cameras on Wednesday, July 13. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chamber City Hall at 900 Church St. Information will be provided regarding the police department’s policies that will govern the use of the cameras, the technology involved and how the cameras will be used.
News & Advance
After almost five years as Dumfries town manager, Dan Taber said he resigned Tuesday night during a closed session of the town council meeting. “I made a decision to pursue retirement and as a result, I resigned my position as town manager of the town of Dumfries and the town council accepted my resignation,” Taber said Wednesday afternoon. Dumfries Mayor Jerry Foreman on Wednesday morning declined to comment on anything that was done in closed session. After the closed session, the council voted to confirm some board and committee assignments and name Cliff Brewer as vice mayor. As for personnel, Foreman said, it would “proceed as directed.” Asked Wednesday if that meant anything happened in closed session regarding personnel and the meaning of “proceed as directed,” Foreman said he could not comment further and the public statement meant “proceed as directed.”
Inside NOVA
One of Metro’s new board members has potential conflicts of interests because of his day jobas a Washington transportation lawyer, raising concern among some that his appointment could fuel perceptions that special interests have undue influence at the transit agency, Metro officials said. Board member David L. Strickland’s first conflict could arise because he is a partner at the Venable law firm, which is Metro’s top legal adviser on labor negotiations, the officials said.
Washington Post
National Stories
“This is exactly where conspiracy theories come from. When you withhold information, nearly everybody assumes the worst.” — Howard Finkelstein, a public defender in Florida, where the Orlando police are refusing to release the 911 calls -- which are public record -- from the mass shooting at a gay nightclub last month.
Governing
Editorials/Columns
Governor McAuliffe and the General Assembly should make strengthening transparency and accountability [at UVA] a priority for the 2017 session through a few simple measures. First, they should ensure that the women and men appointed to serve our public colleges understand and pledge to uphold their primary duty to Virginia citizens. Requiring significantly more rigorous orientation and training delivered by independent, objective sources would help board members see through a wider lens than that of administrators. Having witnessed abuse of Virginia’s sunshine laws by out-of-state appointees in order to increase in-state tuition by double digits, I believe legislators should stipulate that only Virginians be allowed to serve as board officers and chairs of certain critical committees. The so-called “legislative liaisons” employed directly by colleges and universities should be subject to the same registration and reporting laws as all lobbyists, and the records of all officers — including college presidents — should be subject to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Finally, requiring public comment periods at board meetings and creating accountability back to the taxpayers they serve would bring higher education into the modern world of governance.
Helen Dragas, Washington Post
What do Republican former Gov. Bob McDonnell and Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton have in common? The answer, at first glance, would seem to be “nothing.” Their politics could hardly be further apart. But both, despite escaping accusations of criminal wrongdoing, remain tarred with doubts regarding their judgment and ethics.
Daily Progress
HILLARY CLINTON lied about the private email system she used when she was secretary of state. She lied about why she used it and lied about the risks it posed to America. Her lies were positively Nixonian, a brazen dare that authorities wouldn’t be able to prove that she violated standards and the law, and that her station made her immune from prosecution. Her lies were inspired by a deep mistrust of political enemies both real and imagined, a paranoia so complete that it led Clinton to doubt the very people who work so hard to keep this nation’s secrets.
Virginian-Pilot
The FBI’s report is damning. The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza explained it this way: The good news is that Mrs. Clinton has escaped prosecution. The bad news? “Just about everything else.” Because “FBI Director James B. Comey dismantled large portions of Clinton’s long-told story. ... While Comey exonerated Clinton, legally speaking, he provided huge amounts of fodder that could badly hamstring her in the court of public opinion,” he wrote.
Daily News Record
The episode served to shine a spotlight on Virginia’s malleable campaign-finance and ethics laws, which seem to encourage low-grade corruption even though the Old Dominion has not been hit with the levels of malfeasance that can be found in places like Illinois or, closer to home, in Maryland. Legislators in recent sessions went through the motions in affixing fig leafs to the gaping inadequacies in state law. But there is little interest, apparently, for true reform. Former Gov. McDonnell may not have been deserving of prison time, but that doesn’t soften the reality that the commonwealth’s campaign and ethics rules were, and to a large extent remain, far too anemic for the public good.
Arlington Sun Gazette
It's been an article of undisputed faith among Florida cops, prosecutors and journalists for decades that phone calls to 911 are public records. So media lawyers were flabbergasted last month when Orlando police refused to turn over recordings of the 911 calls made during the murderous shootout inside the Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead. At the same time, they weren't surprised at all.
Glenn Garvin, Governing
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