Transparency News, 3/29/2022
Tuesday
March 29, 2022
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Contact us at vcog@opengovva.org
state & local news stories
Petersburg City Manager Stuart Turille Jr. stepped down Thursday, a week after City Council placed him on administrative leave for reasons that still remain unknown. Council emerged from closed session Thursday afternoon and voted to accept Turille's resignation without any comment, continuing the public secrecy that has enveloped city government since the news March 17 that Turille had been sidelined. When asked for a copy of Turille's resignation letter or whether or not he would be receiving any severance, a spokesperson for the city said she would have to check with City Attorney Anthony Williams. As of the time of this writing, those requests had not been answered. Turille has not made himself available for comment about it, either.
The Progress-Index
History came full circle on March 14 as court files from the historic trial of Floyd Allen returned to Carroll County. Carroll County Clerk of Circuit Court Gerald Goad opened the formal transfer of the papers from Wythe County in the very room where the shootout occurred – a circle completed some 100 years, nine months and six days since traveling to Wythe County. Goad praised the support of Honorable Judges Josiah T. Showalter Jr., and Brett Geisler in approving legal transfer of the document back to Carroll. He explained they will once again be the property of the court in Carroll and will fall under his duties of digitization and preservation.
The Carroll News
editorials & columns
President Joe Biden on March 21, 2022, warned that Russian cyberattacks on U.S. targets are likely, though the government has not identified a specific threat. Biden urged the private sector: “Harden your cyber defenses immediately.” Local governments, like schools and hospitals, are particularly enticing “soft targets” – organizations that lack the resources to defend themselves against routine cyberattacks, let alone a lengthy cyber conflict. For those attacking such targets, the goal is not necessarily financial reward but disrupting society at the local level. From issuing business licenses and building permits and collecting taxes to providing emergency services, clean water and waste disposal, the services provided by local governments entail an intimate and ongoing daily relationship with citizens and businesses alike. Disrupting their operations disrupts the heart of U.S. society by shaking confidence in local government and potentially endangering citizens.
Richard Forna, Governing
