Transparency News, 1/6/2023

Friday
January 6, 2023

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Contact us at vcog@opengovva.org

state & local news stories

"The Free Lance–Star requested a copy of the signed contract with Sonny, Inc., on Nov. 14 and did not receive it until Jan. 3."

Former City Manager Tonya Chapman sought $300,000 in severance and other compensation in exchange for her resignation days before she was fired by the City Council, according to an email obtained by The Virginian-Pilot. But a new council supermajority, which includes two new members, voted instead Tuesday to fire her with what they believed to be sufficient cause, rather than pay out what would have amounted to a year and a half of her annual salary. Councilman Bill Moody, who made the motion, cited a clause in her contract and said her termination was for “willfully engaging in conduct” that has damaged the city financially or otherwise. Chapman has not responded to numerous requests for comment. In a statement to WAVY-TV, she said the vote was expected “although statements made by some members of Council were inaccurate.”
The Virginian-Pilot

A Loudon County, Virginia father who was arrested in June 2021 for refusing to leave a school board meeting has been found not guilty.  Jon Tigges attended a Loudoun County School Board meeting on June 22, 2021, joining other parents to protest Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the district’s transgender policies that, among other things, required district employees to use students’ preferred names or pronouns.  The meeting descended into chaos and the school board cut off public comments. Tigges and another parent were arrested for refusing to leave.  A Virginia district judge found Tigges guilty of trespassing in October 2021. On Wednesday, Loudoun Circuit Judge Douglas Fleming Jr. dismissed the case. Fleming determined that the Commonwealth could not prove Superintendent Scott Ziegler had the authority to declare an unlawful assembly and that Tigges acted in good faith in his belief that he had a First Amendment right to be at the meeting. 
Fox News

After Del. Wren Williams was found not guilty of intentionally bumping Del. Marie March, she used social media to blame the justice system for her defeat in court on Wednesday. March, R-Floyd, twice declined comment to news media on Wednesday, except to say she was very disappointed, after a judge ruled that March’s lawyers failed to prove Williams, R-Patrick, acted intentionally when the political adversaries collided in a crowded Wytheville event hall. But about two hours after the decision, March commented on her political Facebook page, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the two and a half-hour court proceedings, during which March was represented by the Wythe County commonwealth’s attorney’s office. “Judges are appointed by politicians and the Swamp is deep, folks,” March wrote. “Our country is in a sad state of affairs.” All judges in the Wythe County circuit had been recused from hearing the case because it involved two sitting delegates. It is state lawmakers who appoint judges. Retired Alexandria-based Judge Becky Moore presided over the hearing.
The Roanoke Times

The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office and Commonwealth’s Attorney are looking into whether it is legal for private security guards hired by the Spotsylvania School Board to carry firearms on school property. The Spotsylvania School Board is contracting with Spotsylvania-based Sonny, Inc., to provide armed security guards at board meetings, as well as in the School Board office on a daily basis. The school division’s procurement office issued a statewide request for proposals for “armed security guard services” on Sept. 22, after Spotsylvania Sheriff Roger Harris informed the board earlier that month that effective Oct. 14, his office would no longer provide security at School Board meetings. Harris said in a letter to the School Board that he was uncomfortable with deputies being “put in a position to side with one or more [School Board] members regarding ‘disruptive’ citizens.” The Free Lance–Star requested a copy of the signed contract with Sonny, Inc., on Nov. 14 and did not receive it until Jan. 3. In addition to the contract, Taylor also signed an addendum, dated Nov. 1—a week before he signed the actual contract—which states that Sonny, Inc., will station one armed guard at the School Board office reception area between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. every weekday. That service was not requested by the initial RFP process.
The Free Lance-Star

A two-day jury trial for Wayde Belmont Byard, the Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman accused of perjury, is set for June 20 and 21. Byard appeared briefly in Loudoun Circuit Court on Thursday. Defense attorney Jennifer L. Leffler said after the hearing that the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, which is prosecuting the case, hasn’t provided specifics about Byard’s felony perjury charge. However, Leffler said she believes it’s about “what he knew and when he knew it” regarding the student-on-student sexual assault scandal at LCPS in 2021.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
 

stories of national interest

When the House Jan. 6 committee wrapped up its work in recent weeks, it posted hundreds of records online, including interview transcripts, audio recordings and text messages. Also buried in the massive cache was a spreadsheet with nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers associated with visitors to the White House in December 2020, including at least three members of Trump’s Cabinet, a few Republican governors and numerous Trump allies. While the spreadsheet with the numbers was taken down Wednesday, the high-profile nature of the people whose data was exposed probably puts them at an “elevated risk” because the information would be especially useful to intelligence agencies, said James Lee, chief operating officer of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that advises victims of identity crimes and compromises.
The Washington Post

 

editorials & columns

Don’t worry if you didn’t make a New Year’s resolution. Instead, consider how you might make a difference. Remember the old saying about every journey beginning with the first step? Start the new year out right by deciding which first step to take. Think about things you care about and how to get involved here, where you live. Attend public meetings. Learn what goes on, and speak up if you have something to say. Get involved on a board or commission and be willing to serve if it needs members; municipal governments are always looking for volunteers. Consider running for office. Worried about what’s going on in the schools? Go to school board meetings. 
The Virginian-Pilot