Transparency News 10/10/16
Monday, October 10, 2016
State and Local Stories
The state inspector general's report on Jamycheal Mitchell's death was roundly criticized, with legislators questioning its depth and OSIG insiders filing a complaint over process that was eventually set aside by Gov. Terry McAuliffe's office, which said the governor retained full confidence in Jennings. Might the Daily Press review the notes and interviews and other documentation that led to that report? Yes, State Inspector General June Jennings replied, standing outside the FOIA subcommittee meeting room a little more than a week ago. Parts would likely be redacted, but yes. "We don't have any problem releasing case files once an investigation or audit is complete," she said. Back inside the committee room, the meeting continued. As it ended, OSIG spokeswoman Julie Grimes approached. Jennings, she said, may have been mistaken when she said the Mitchell file would be available. The Daily Press sent a formal request anyway, later that day. A week later came the formal answer: No.
Daily Press
A state investigation is underway after authorities said they discovered 20 to 30 boxes of documents, including claims filed by veterans, in a storage unit once leased by a former Virginia Department of Veterans Services employee who worked at the agency’s veterans benefits office at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The former Veterans Services employee who had apparently leased the unit had stopped making rental payments and the unit was repossessed, Thomas Herthel, the department’s director of benefits, said. “The contents were auctioned off and a private citizen purchased those, and immediately notified the sheriff when they discovered there were state records in there,” he said.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
National Stories
Embattled former Gloucester, Massachusetts, police Chief Leonard Campanello will be allowed to retire early next year after the city and its former top cop came to an agreement yesterday that will put an end to termination proceedings that would have dragged on for months, attorneys for both sides say. Campanello, who gained national recognition for launching a program that sends drug addicts to rehab rather than jail, was ousted earlier this week after allegedly erasing his city-owned cellphone amid an investigation into allegations brought against him by two women, authorities said.
Governing
Editorials/Columns
If it was inevitable, in this self-obsessed age, it remains inexplicable: Why would anyone want to take a selfie in a polling place? Aside from the humble-bragging it encourages, taking a photo in a polling place does serve a purpose: Allowing voters to document conditions under which they’re trying to cast a ballot. Given the chaos and delays that have marked Virginia elections in recent years, that’s no small matter. Still, a bunch of self-shooting voters aren’t going to improve things.
Virginian-Pilot
The D.C. Council made certain the public received word that the federal oversight board to oversee Metro safety would have oodles of transparency. Sunshine is one of the most effective natural disinfectants since Genesis. Lord knows, if there is a transportation bureaucracy that needs to be cleansed, its name is Metro. Indeed, Metro began as a regional transit system to cater to commuters, tourist attractions and sporting events. Hence, old problems begin anew as Metro and federal officials try to please all of the people all of the time. To be sure, the millions and millions of public dollars the feds are dangling help explain why D.C. officials added transparency to legislation that would establish a safety panel. Still, while elected and appointed officials try to spread the sunshine, other issues remain in dark corners. The D.C. zoning authority is such a place, and the council needs to disinfect it.
Deborah Simmons, Washington Times
