Transparency News 10/2/14
Thursday, October 2, 2014
State and Local Stories
Fox News
Students’ public posts on social media collected by school officials must be discarded within a year after a student leaves the district and parents must be notified that school officials are analyzing social-media posts under a new law signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown. The new legislation stems from AB 1442, which Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) introduced in January as a result of Glendale Unified officials hiring Geo Listening to monitor students’ posts on social media without telling students or parents that their children’s public posts on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were being tracked.
Glendale News-Press
The IRS backlog for freedom of information requests grew rapidly as the agency was dealing with its Tea Party controversy, according to a new federal audit. Treasury’s inspector general for tax administration said in its new report that 217 information requests were stalled at the end of the 2013 fiscal year – an 84 percent increase over the 118 requests backlogged at the end of 2012. Requests dealing with the agency’s improper scrutiny of Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status drove the backlog, the inspector general said. The agency had reduced the number of stalled requests between 2009 and 2012.
The Hill
Megan Rhyne, VCOG Blog
When the president of the United States delivers the annual State of the Union address, it is meant to provide more than political theater (though it is often delivers on that point). The chief executive is instructed by the Constitution to "from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Our local mayors are not under similar obligations, but there is value in regularly informing the public of the goings-on in their communities. It is good to conduct a yearly assessment of where we've been, where we are and where we aspire to go. So we are pleased to see both Newport News Mayor McKinley Price and Hampton Mayor George Wallace each deliver "State of the City" addresses. Mayor Wallace spoke in early September, while Mayor Price gave his speech Tuesday. However, we have to quibble over the fact that these addresses were delivered as part of a ticketed Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce series. We consider this a worthy exercise and would rather the speeches were given annually as free community events open to the public rather than only for the elite few. These chamber events are a worthwhile way for business leaders to receive a frank assessment of the communities they call home. All our other city residents, those who may not be able to afford a $45 admission fee, should have the same opportunity. We urge our elected office holders to provide it.
Daily Press
Tuesday’s satirical column poked fun at the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors by featuring a fictional transcript of a fictional closed meeting. Though it evoked much laughter among readers, the underlying concept isn’t very funny. Consider what’s been going on within that board recently, both through articles by my colleague Carmen Forman and recent statements and emails by Supervisors Butch Church, I-Catawba, and Al Bedrosian, R-Hollins. The current row became public Sept. 23 when Church and Bedrosian took the unusual step of refusing to meet in closed session with the rest of the board about the hiring of a new county administrator. At that time, Church and Bedrosian explained their reluctance this way: The other three supervisors had declined to dig into a “troubling” county government personnel matter that all five of them had been briefed about in an earlier closed session. Since then Church and Bedrosian have said much more. And they’ve described the “troubling” personnel in much amped-up and eyebrow-raising language. When I spoke to Bedrosian, he likened this situation to the NFL’s Ray Rice scandal. It has nothing to do with domestic violence, he added, but if the public only knew, they would be shocked. Then he should tell us, instead of talking around it and fomenting suspicion and rumors. It’s time to put up or shut up.
Dan Casey, Roanoke Times
It shouldn’t take a commission to do what needs to be done: ban elected officials from accepting gifts and travel altogether. But hopefully a high-profile, multi-year effort will result in real reforms. It’s time for leaders to take this seriously. It isn’t acceptable to nibble around the edges while leaving the basic premise—that elected officials in some way deserve Redskins tickets and steak dinners and trips—untouched. This is not a partisan issue. For years members of both parties have reached out with both hands to grab all the largesse lobbyists and donors and special interests seeking influence have offered them. But utterly changing the way Virginia treats such things should be bipartisan. And it should be a joint effort by the legislative and executive branches.
Free Lance-Star
When a water main breaks in your town, what does the local government do? Other than responding to the break with the appropriate emergency services, the municipality works to replace the broken main. Companies are asked to bid for the job based on the cost of pipes, other materials and labor. Officials then award a contract that delivers the best work for the best price. That's the way procurement is supposed to work. However, this isn't always the case, and too often the real culprit is poor oversight by elected officials.
Jon Russell, Governing
State and Local Stories
The Pulaski County School Board held a special meeting Tuesday to discuss, in part, plans for filling the position. Hill’s term was scheduled to end in December 2015, so the person selected will serve the remainder of that term. School Board Chairman Michael Barbour said they have circulated the notice within the board’s agency. He also pointed out that their notice is based on one recently utilized in Roanoke County, to spread awareness of the vacancy. The candidates for the position will also be interviewed in closed session, according Barbour, therefore making the decision completely up to the School Board.
Southwest Times
Medical lobbying groups have spent more than $1 million to influence politicians in Virginia. The information, along with a list of the “Top Lobbying Spenders,” comes from public documents on file with the office of Secretary of the Commonwealth and compiled byThe Virginia Public Access Project. This is not money given directly to candidates, but money spent on activities.
Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau
National Stories
Taxpayers in an eastern Pennsylvania community are out nearly $400,000 after the school district lost a four-year legal battle over breast cancer awareness bracelets officials deemed offensive. The Easton Area School District was assessed the full legal bill for the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union’s First Amendment battle, waged on behalf of students who got in trouble for wearing wristbands inscribed with “I (heart) boobies.”Fox News
Students’ public posts on social media collected by school officials must be discarded within a year after a student leaves the district and parents must be notified that school officials are analyzing social-media posts under a new law signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown. The new legislation stems from AB 1442, which Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) introduced in January as a result of Glendale Unified officials hiring Geo Listening to monitor students’ posts on social media without telling students or parents that their children’s public posts on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were being tracked.
Glendale News-Press
The IRS backlog for freedom of information requests grew rapidly as the agency was dealing with its Tea Party controversy, according to a new federal audit. Treasury’s inspector general for tax administration said in its new report that 217 information requests were stalled at the end of the 2013 fiscal year – an 84 percent increase over the 118 requests backlogged at the end of 2012. Requests dealing with the agency’s improper scrutiny of Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status drove the backlog, the inspector general said. The agency had reduced the number of stalled requests between 2009 and 2012.
The Hill
Editorials/Columns
There’s a phrase that gets bandied about occasionally by public officials when asked by reporters for comment about a particular matter. It’s meant as a conversation stopper; a statement against which no reasonable person could or would argue because it is meant to convey a certainty, as steadfast and unassailable as a the gaze of the Sphinx. There are several versions of the phrase, but essentially it goes like this: “I can’t comment on something we discussed in closed session.” There’s nothing inherently wrong about this statement. But to be more precise, more accurate, what they really should be saying is, “I am choosing not to comment.”Megan Rhyne, VCOG Blog
When the president of the United States delivers the annual State of the Union address, it is meant to provide more than political theater (though it is often delivers on that point). The chief executive is instructed by the Constitution to "from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Our local mayors are not under similar obligations, but there is value in regularly informing the public of the goings-on in their communities. It is good to conduct a yearly assessment of where we've been, where we are and where we aspire to go. So we are pleased to see both Newport News Mayor McKinley Price and Hampton Mayor George Wallace each deliver "State of the City" addresses. Mayor Wallace spoke in early September, while Mayor Price gave his speech Tuesday. However, we have to quibble over the fact that these addresses were delivered as part of a ticketed Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce series. We consider this a worthy exercise and would rather the speeches were given annually as free community events open to the public rather than only for the elite few. These chamber events are a worthwhile way for business leaders to receive a frank assessment of the communities they call home. All our other city residents, those who may not be able to afford a $45 admission fee, should have the same opportunity. We urge our elected office holders to provide it.
Daily Press
Tuesday’s satirical column poked fun at the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors by featuring a fictional transcript of a fictional closed meeting. Though it evoked much laughter among readers, the underlying concept isn’t very funny. Consider what’s been going on within that board recently, both through articles by my colleague Carmen Forman and recent statements and emails by Supervisors Butch Church, I-Catawba, and Al Bedrosian, R-Hollins. The current row became public Sept. 23 when Church and Bedrosian took the unusual step of refusing to meet in closed session with the rest of the board about the hiring of a new county administrator. At that time, Church and Bedrosian explained their reluctance this way: The other three supervisors had declined to dig into a “troubling” county government personnel matter that all five of them had been briefed about in an earlier closed session. Since then Church and Bedrosian have said much more. And they’ve described the “troubling” personnel in much amped-up and eyebrow-raising language. When I spoke to Bedrosian, he likened this situation to the NFL’s Ray Rice scandal. It has nothing to do with domestic violence, he added, but if the public only knew, they would be shocked. Then he should tell us, instead of talking around it and fomenting suspicion and rumors. It’s time to put up or shut up.
Dan Casey, Roanoke Times
It shouldn’t take a commission to do what needs to be done: ban elected officials from accepting gifts and travel altogether. But hopefully a high-profile, multi-year effort will result in real reforms. It’s time for leaders to take this seriously. It isn’t acceptable to nibble around the edges while leaving the basic premise—that elected officials in some way deserve Redskins tickets and steak dinners and trips—untouched. This is not a partisan issue. For years members of both parties have reached out with both hands to grab all the largesse lobbyists and donors and special interests seeking influence have offered them. But utterly changing the way Virginia treats such things should be bipartisan. And it should be a joint effort by the legislative and executive branches.
Free Lance-Star
When a water main breaks in your town, what does the local government do? Other than responding to the break with the appropriate emergency services, the municipality works to replace the broken main. Companies are asked to bid for the job based on the cost of pipes, other materials and labor. Officials then award a contract that delivers the best work for the best price. That's the way procurement is supposed to work. However, this isn't always the case, and too often the real culprit is poor oversight by elected officials.
Jon Russell, Governing
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