Transparency News, 10/13/2022

Thursday
October 13, 2022

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state & local news stories

"Hunt told members it was time to adjourn the meeting since nothing could be decided. He noted that two supervisors could stay and listen to residents if they wanted, but it wouldn't be a proper meeting."

After more than two years of internal disputes and legislative setbacks, Charlottesville’s Police Civilian Oversight Board has finally delivered an evaluation of its first case. PCOB Executive Director Hansel Aguilar issued his evaluation, which determined the CPD did not “thoroughly, completely, and accurately” investigate a complaint brought by local attorney Jeff Fogel. During Aguilar’s investigation, he reviewed the unredacted 100-page internal affairs report, third-party videos of the incident, on-the-scene body-worn camera videos, BWC videos of prior encounters officers had with Gonzalez, emergency communication recordings, and calls to witnesses and Fogel. Fogel says he was impressed by the “thoroughness” of Aguilar’s report, and believes the director raised strong questions and made helpful recommendations. But he remains frustrated with the CPD for not providing him with more evidence—he cannot adequately evaluate Aguilar’s report since he has only seen Houchens’ BWC footage and one video of the arrest taken by a witness.
C-Ville Weekly

Selecting an applicant to fill an empty seat on the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors likely will be up to a judge after a tense gathering Wednesday evening in Chatham. Wednesday's special meeting was called to give the applicants for the Banister District seat a chance to provide a presentation to the board. The point of contention centered on what's known as a hearing of the citizens, something half the board members were against. Wednesday's meeting failed to even proceed since members couldn't settle on the agenda. Every motion was met with a 3-3 tie, which translates into defeat. “If you can’t agree on an agenda, you can’t have a meeting," said Vaden Hunt, the county's attorney who's also acting as the interim administrator. "It’s time for you guys to find some middle ground and determine if there’s an agenda that four of you can agree to," he said after the first motion to approve the agenda — a routine parliamentary procedure — failed in a 3-3 tie. Bob Warren, Ron Scearce and Tim Dudley were opposed to allowing residents to speak, instead wanting to only hear from those seeking the vacant seat. Chairman Vic Ingram asked the three supervisors who voted against the agenda to make a counter motion. That's when Dudley spoke and offered an amendment to essentially eliminate the hearing of the citizens, setting off debate among supervisors. Hunt told members it was time to adjourn the meeting since nothing could be decided. He noted that two supervisors could stay and listen to residents if they wanted, but it wouldn't be a proper meeting.
Danville Register & Bee

Nexus Services Inc., with its owners under indictment, owes Augusta County over $100,000 in delinquent taxes, according to the county's website. But when the county will collect the money is anyone's guess. Augusta County records list Nexus Services Inc., with its corporate offices located in Verona, as owing $87,402 in delinquent personal property taxes. Two of its subsidiaries are also listed — Nexus Commercial Ventures owes $20,656, and Nexus Properties Inc. owes another $15,713 in delinquent real estate taxes, according to the county. All told, $123,771 is owed to Augusta County in unpaid taxes by Nexus. Augusta County Treasurer Richard Homes said Monday that multiple attempts have been made to collect the money owed to the county, and that "numerous" payment plans have not been adhered to by Nexus. The county said information concerning how long the taxes have been owed is not available to the public.
News Leader

In a sizeable turnout, several residents took the podium at Tuesday night’s Gloucester School Board meeting in the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium to address the topic of bullying on the board, as the board itself adopted an anti-bullying proclamation for Gloucester County Public Schools. Many of those speaking referred to claims by school board members Darren Post and Carlton Drew last month that an incidence of bullying had taken place at the board’s Dec. 14, 2021 closed meeting. Some also addressed a recording purportedly made by Post during that closed meeting.
Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal
 

stories of national interest

Holly Grange, a former state representative, one-time gubernatorial candidate, and UNC Wilmington Board of Trustees member, was one year into her service on the university board when she received a startling text. A bill had just been filed in the state House stripping her of the role.  “I hope that it is an error,” wrote Mark Lanier, a member of UNCW’s senior staff in a follow-up email to Grange. “Your term should continue through June 30, 2025.” But it was not an error. The bill, which dealt with a wide range of appointments across the state, directed a new trustee to fill “the unexpired term of Holly S. Grange.” In texts and emails WHQR obtained via a public records request, Grange confirmed to Lanier that she had not resigned, writing that the move was “terribly unfair and unprofessional by the speaker.”
The Assembly

Poor communication among state agencies resulted in "severe duplication of work" in responding to the coronavirus pandemic and the state was too slow to make necessary adjustments in the way it ordered essential supplies and too reactive in its overall response, a consultant hired to assess the state's COVID-19 response said in a draft report. The Michigan State Police has released additional records related to an "after action" report prepared by a Virginia consultant, assessing the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Free Press first wrote about the draft "after action report" prepared by a Virginia consultant, Tidal Basin Group, in September, after filing a Michigan Freedom of Information Act request with the emergency management division of the Michigan State Police and receiving a draft report dated July of this year. But last week, the MSP said it had located additional records responsive to the initial Free Press FOIA request and sent 99 more pages. The supplemental response included a second draft report, which is undated and has findings and comments more critical than those the Free Press received in September.
Detroit Free Press

All five members of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Planning Board resigned Wednesday at the insistence of the county council after weeks of escalating misconduct accusations, media leaks and worsening staff morale. The council, which appoints the board, voted unanimously in a closed session Tuesday to ask the entire board to resign, according to two people familiar with the vote, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Those who didn’t resign would have faced a public hearing seeking their removal, the people said.
The Washington Post
 

editorials & columns

"Compare the $1.2 million in legal fees to the $1 million United Way campaign goal for Bristol this year."

The whole landfill situation stinks – literally and figuratively. Back in February, when Bristol, Tennessee was considering filing its current landfill lawsuit against Bristol, Virginia we wrote this. What does Bristol, Tennessee hope to gain by filing a lawsuit where the only winners will be the lawyers, and the losers would undoubtedly be taxpayers on both sides of State Street? Now, after eight months and $1.2 million and counting in combined legal fees for both cities, it appears we were unfortunately correct. The landfill still stinks and now the two cities are throwing money at high-priced lawyers and sitting before judges to settle disputes instead of sitting across the table and talking to each other like rational city leaders.  The fact that this community has had to pay lawyers $1.2 million to referee their differences when we have so many other needs is a tragedy beyond the scope of the smelly landfill.  Compare the $1.2 million in legal fees to the $1 million United Way campaign goal for Bristol this year.
Bristol Herald Courier