Transparency News 2/14/17
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
State and Local Stories
State and Local Stories
A hearing for the civil case brought against Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham and Councilman and former Mayor W. Howard Myers is set for Thursday morning of this week. Both men are defendants in a civil court case brought about by members of registered voters from the fifth and third wards of Petersburg. Members of the third and fifth wards signed petitions to have both men removed from their positions. The civil case calls for both Parham and Myers to be removed from office due to "neglect, misuse of office, and incompetence in the performance of their duties." The purpose of hearing is to determine trial date, to hear any motions, to determine whether Parham and Myers will be tried separately, and if they want to be tried by judge or jury.
Progress-Index
Del. Kathy Byron’s broadband bill, which has been altered a third time to make it more politically palatable, is headed to the Senate floor. The original bill filed by Byron, R-Bedford, elicited an outcry from representatives of municipal broadband authorities and localities across the state. It has been amended to the point that the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority no longer opposes the bill. A third amended version of the bill passed the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Monday with one no vote and one abstention. Byron’s bill no longer contains any language threatening to municipal broadband, said broadband authority spokeswoman Jenn Eddy. The legislation mostly repeats what’s already codified in law, she said.
Roanoke Times
Norfolk Sheriff Joe Baron requested an audit of his office Friday following the public revelation that federal authorities were investigating its dealings with a medical contractor. But in an interview Monday, Baron said the request was not related to the FBI investigation. He said he was planning to request one before a subpoena was served to the office last month. “I want to know, what is our baseline?” said Baron, who was sworn in Feb. 1 following former Sheriff Bob McCabe’s unexpected retirement.
Virginian-Pilot
Advocates for redistricting reform made a last-ditch effort Monday to move their issue forward this legislative session, rolling out some of the strongest rhetoric yet on the issue. Charles McPhillips, a Norfolk Republican with reform group OneVirginia2021, decried the "high-tech but really seedy" practice of using computers to review voters' partisan tendencies, then draw them into the jagged outlines of modern legislative and congressional districts. "Computer-powered gerrymandering is, simply put, rigging an election,"McPhillips said.
Daily Press
National Stories
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the only cabinet level agency that was able to meet President Obama’s 2009 instruction to reduce FOIA backlogs by 10 percent per year. Out of the 15 federal departments surveyed, HHS reduced its backlog by 12.7 percent* per year. The average for all federal departments was an 8.21 percent increase. The departments of Homeland Security, State, and Housing and Urban Development are some of the worst offenders, with an average increase of nearly 30 percent per year.
National Security Archives
Editorials/Columns
With free speech under so much fire from so many directions lately, it’s encouraging to see Virginia lawmakers sponsor bills to protect it. One measure, sponsored by Del. Terry Kilgore, would extend legal protection against spurious lawsuits to both political speech and to consumer reviews of the sort that have grown popular on websites such as Yelp. The measure would not protect people against defamation, and it shouldn’t. But it would ensure that people can express their honest views in the public square without having to worry they will be bankrupted by legal fees for doing so. The second measure, from Del. Steven Landes and 19 co-patrons, is a shot over the bow of public colleges and universities. It stipulates: “Except as otherwise permitted by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, no public institution of higher education shall abridge the freedom of any individual, including enrolled students, faculty and other employees, and invited guests, to speak on campus.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Far be it from me to say the governor of Virginia is mistaken about something. But he clearly is. When Terry McAuliffe popped off Wednesday, furiously accusing House of Delegates Republicans of trying to fire the commonwealth’s inspector general and playing politics with her appointment, he was dead wrong. First, June Jennings isn’t being fired. If some lawmakers have their way, she won’t be reappointed. There is a difference. Second, politics are not motivating her removal. Her appointment is in trouble because of what is widely seen as her unsatisfactory performance in an important job.
Kerry Dougherty, Virginian-Pilot
Governing bodies’ use of authority has become a sore point in a couple of recent decisions in both city and county. One involves the Adelaide rezoning request. That request made its way through regular channels: filed with Albemarle County officials; researched by county staff, who presented their findings to the Planning Commission; recommended to the Board of Supervisors for approval by the commission. The board has been criticized for failing to support the rezoning, because (among other reasons) the Planning Commission had recommended approval. But it is perfectly within the board’s authority not to accept the commission’s recommendation. Look at it from the flip side. If the supervisors were to uniformly agree to everything the Planning Commission suggested, they would soon be fielding criticism of another sort — as ineffectual leaders who exercised no will of their own but rather merely rubber-stamped others’ proposals.
Daily Progress
When their best plays don’t work, football teams have been known to try the fumblerooski -- a trick play that involves hiding the ball and misdirecting the defense. So deceptive is the the play that the NCAA banned it and the NFL made it a penalty. Legal variations of the play are still sometimes used: Take a page from the playbook of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. “We were given real and honest numbers about what Metro is going to cost us going forward,” Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Phyllis Randall told members of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce last week. “The numbers are startling, and they are concerning ... It is literally impossible. We don’t have it.” What exactly are those numbers? Where did the county fumble? Can it recover the ball and run?
Loudoun Times-Mirror
Progress-Index
Del. Kathy Byron’s broadband bill, which has been altered a third time to make it more politically palatable, is headed to the Senate floor. The original bill filed by Byron, R-Bedford, elicited an outcry from representatives of municipal broadband authorities and localities across the state. It has been amended to the point that the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority no longer opposes the bill. A third amended version of the bill passed the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Monday with one no vote and one abstention. Byron’s bill no longer contains any language threatening to municipal broadband, said broadband authority spokeswoman Jenn Eddy. The legislation mostly repeats what’s already codified in law, she said.
Roanoke Times
Norfolk Sheriff Joe Baron requested an audit of his office Friday following the public revelation that federal authorities were investigating its dealings with a medical contractor. But in an interview Monday, Baron said the request was not related to the FBI investigation. He said he was planning to request one before a subpoena was served to the office last month. “I want to know, what is our baseline?” said Baron, who was sworn in Feb. 1 following former Sheriff Bob McCabe’s unexpected retirement.
Virginian-Pilot
Advocates for redistricting reform made a last-ditch effort Monday to move their issue forward this legislative session, rolling out some of the strongest rhetoric yet on the issue. Charles McPhillips, a Norfolk Republican with reform group OneVirginia2021, decried the "high-tech but really seedy" practice of using computers to review voters' partisan tendencies, then draw them into the jagged outlines of modern legislative and congressional districts. "Computer-powered gerrymandering is, simply put, rigging an election,"McPhillips said.
Daily Press
National Stories
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the only cabinet level agency that was able to meet President Obama’s 2009 instruction to reduce FOIA backlogs by 10 percent per year. Out of the 15 federal departments surveyed, HHS reduced its backlog by 12.7 percent* per year. The average for all federal departments was an 8.21 percent increase. The departments of Homeland Security, State, and Housing and Urban Development are some of the worst offenders, with an average increase of nearly 30 percent per year.
National Security Archives
Editorials/Columns
With free speech under so much fire from so many directions lately, it’s encouraging to see Virginia lawmakers sponsor bills to protect it. One measure, sponsored by Del. Terry Kilgore, would extend legal protection against spurious lawsuits to both political speech and to consumer reviews of the sort that have grown popular on websites such as Yelp. The measure would not protect people against defamation, and it shouldn’t. But it would ensure that people can express their honest views in the public square without having to worry they will be bankrupted by legal fees for doing so. The second measure, from Del. Steven Landes and 19 co-patrons, is a shot over the bow of public colleges and universities. It stipulates: “Except as otherwise permitted by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, no public institution of higher education shall abridge the freedom of any individual, including enrolled students, faculty and other employees, and invited guests, to speak on campus.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Far be it from me to say the governor of Virginia is mistaken about something. But he clearly is. When Terry McAuliffe popped off Wednesday, furiously accusing House of Delegates Republicans of trying to fire the commonwealth’s inspector general and playing politics with her appointment, he was dead wrong. First, June Jennings isn’t being fired. If some lawmakers have their way, she won’t be reappointed. There is a difference. Second, politics are not motivating her removal. Her appointment is in trouble because of what is widely seen as her unsatisfactory performance in an important job.
Kerry Dougherty, Virginian-Pilot
Governing bodies’ use of authority has become a sore point in a couple of recent decisions in both city and county. One involves the Adelaide rezoning request. That request made its way through regular channels: filed with Albemarle County officials; researched by county staff, who presented their findings to the Planning Commission; recommended to the Board of Supervisors for approval by the commission. The board has been criticized for failing to support the rezoning, because (among other reasons) the Planning Commission had recommended approval. But it is perfectly within the board’s authority not to accept the commission’s recommendation. Look at it from the flip side. If the supervisors were to uniformly agree to everything the Planning Commission suggested, they would soon be fielding criticism of another sort — as ineffectual leaders who exercised no will of their own but rather merely rubber-stamped others’ proposals.
Daily Progress
When their best plays don’t work, football teams have been known to try the fumblerooski -- a trick play that involves hiding the ball and misdirecting the defense. So deceptive is the the play that the NCAA banned it and the NFL made it a penalty. Legal variations of the play are still sometimes used: Take a page from the playbook of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. “We were given real and honest numbers about what Metro is going to cost us going forward,” Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Phyllis Randall told members of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce last week. “The numbers are startling, and they are concerning ... It is literally impossible. We don’t have it.” What exactly are those numbers? Where did the county fumble? Can it recover the ball and run?
Loudoun Times-Mirror
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