Transparency News, 3/11/2022
Friday
March 11, 2022
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Contact us at vcog@opengovva.org
state & local news stories
The Virginia General Assembly is preparing to change the state’s open records laws again, removing a recent provision that required police and prosecutors to release closed files to any requester. The changes would also require crime victims to be notified whenever law enforcement is inclined to release a report in open or closed criminal cases. Free access to information would energize the ‘murder groupies,’ ” people who closely follow crime cases. She described receiving a number of “disturbing, fictional, pornographic descriptions of Morgan’s final moments,” said Gil Harrington, Morgan Harrington’s mother. The amendment would allow law enforcement discretion to release open and closed files, and says closed files shall be released to victims’ families and to attorneys pursuing post-conviction cases. The proposed amendment also says no open or closed files will be released to anyone until the victims are notified and given 14 days to object. If a victim objects, they must go to court and file for an injunction, and a judge would decide whether the file should be released, consider whether the release would.
The Washington Post
The Virginia General Assembly passed a campaign finance reform bill Thursday that adds a new layer of oversight to spending by candidates, but only after an amendment was added so it would not take effect until their next scheduled election cycle is over. The measure would both tighten record retention requirements and implement reviews of campaign committee financial records by the Department of Elections. Currently, candidates disclose their spending with varying degrees of specificity under what’s effectively an honor system, with no state-sponsored review. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Del. David Bulova, has said the measure is intended to keep candidates honest as they submit their filings.
Associated Press
The Portsmouth City Council appears to be preparing to replace its interim city attorney. The council met behind closed doors Wednesday evening to discuss interim City Attorney Burle Stromberg’s performance, and is planning to vote Friday on appointing someone else to the post. Mayor Shannon Glover called the special closed session Wednesday night to discuss Stromberg’s performance, but details around the meeting are scarce. The reason for the discussion has not been made public. The agenda for Friday’s special meeting includes only one item — “appointment of interim city attorney” that is going to be conducted by a roll call vote, which means the council members will need to make a formal, recorded vote. WAVY-10, a local NBC affiliate, tweeted that Wednesday night’s meeting was called after “the interim city attorney was overheard cursing the mayor in chambers following a city council meeting.”
The Virginian-Pilot
Metro’s board on Thursday voted unanimously to replace the agency’s top watchdog without publicly commenting on the decision. The board’s vote not to renew inspector general Geoffrey Cherrington’s contract comes as Metro is heading into its sixth month of reduced rail service because of safety issues that are sidelining trains amid a federal investigation. During Thursday’s meeting, board members did not discuss the move or provide a statement. They named Deputy Inspector General Rene Febles, who runs the office’s investigations, as acting IG. Metro spokeswoman Lynn Bowersox said the agency does not comment on personnel matters. Cherrington did not reply to a message Thursday. The lack of an explanation for replacing Cherrington — whose role is to unearth problems and create more transparency, accountability and public trust in the transit system — did not sit well with Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who chairs a federal oversight committee that Metro reports to.
The Washington Post
stories of national interest
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), one of America's most inscrutable power players, has made the surprising decision to open his archive to a journalist, and sit for long interviews.
Axios
editorials & columns
"Not only does Youngkin want to be the mediator in disputes about divisive topics, however, he wants to keep the Fourth Estate from knowing anything about how he goes about doing this."
GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN’S determination to remove divisiveness from public education is driving a wedge between public schools and parents. And the tactics he’s employing are fraying the fabric of trust our government depends on to function properly. It started with an anonymous tip line that allows parents to report any teacher they suspect of teaching “divisive” material that offends or upsets their children. When news organizations filed Freedom of Information Act requests to learn what type of information was being collected, Youngkin refused. Now, Youngkin is taking this argument a step further, blocking a FOIA request by VPM to examine who has made public records requests about the tip line, how those FOIA requests were handled, and how many the governor’s office received. Not only does Youngkin want to be the mediator in disputes about divisive topics, however, he wants to keep the Fourth Estate from knowing anything about how he goes about doing this. He has also denied FOIA requests for a document that would appear to show how he would enforce his Day One executive orders.
The Free Lance-Star
