Transparency News, 10/27/2022
Thursday
October 27, 2022
THERE WILL NOT BE A NEWSLETTER ON FRIDAY THE 28TH OR MONDAY THE 31ST.
SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER!
state & local news stories
Virginia’s state government watchdog agency said Wednesday it will examine the awarding of a six-figure contract to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political ad-maker for the production of a state tourism video that featured the governor. Kate Hourin, a spokesperson for the Office of the State Inspector General, told The Associated Press investigators will look into whether the appropriate procurement process was followed in the matter, which was the subject of news reports earlier this month. Hourin said the agency decided to grant the request from Democratic lawmakers after determining the matter falls within the agency’s jurisdiction, though she said not every question the lawmakers raised was in the agency’s purview. The investigation would be focused on the procurement issueand “whether any waste of government funds was involved,” she said.
AP News
If Newport News residents want to remove members of the City Council from office via recall, they’re out of luck. On Tuesday night, City Council decided not to pursue an amendment to the city’s charter to give voters an avenue to recall council members. Two weeks ago, the council reviewed a proposed amendment — championed by Mayor McKinley Price — during a discussion of legislative priorities it was considering sending to the Virginia General Assembly. During a council meeting Tuesday, councilwoman Sharon Scott — who was not present during the previous discussion on the matter — questioned where the proposal was coming from and “who decided this was necessary?” Price said he initiated the amendment because, as far as he knew, unless a council member committed a felony, there was no way to remove them. He argued that this could be a problem if a council member weren’t meeting an obligation, such as attending council meetings. City Attorney Collins Owens, however, noted that wasn’t accurate. He said state law allows people to remove a council member through the courts for various reasons beyond committing a felony. Still, Price felt the recall amendment would be “an additional tool if needed.” Scott said that, during her 20 years on the council, council members regularly missing meetings hadn’t been an issue.
Daily Press
“I don’t get involved in the hiring and firing of police chiefs," Mayor Levar Stoney said. However, news releases sent from the mayor’s office in 2019 and 2020 gave credit to Stoney for the appointments and a resignation of several former police chiefs since he’s been mayor. At the time, Stoney took credit for: appointing Police Chief William Smith; requesting Police Chief William Smith’s resignation; appointing Interim Police Chief William Jody Blackwell; appointing Police Chief Gerald Smith. In fact, when Stoney appointed Gerald Smith in 2020, he said he directly spoke with several candidates and that Smith "rose to the top." He added he personally called on Smith to take the role. "This evening, I'm here to announce that I've asked Gerald Smith, the deputy police chief in Charlotte County, North Carolina to serve as the next chief police," Stoney said when introducing Smith to the public in July 2020.
WTVR
Fairfax County’s top prosecutor, who has faced criticism for practices some view as too lenient, released data Wednesday showing that his office recommended people accused of violent crimes be denied bail at 76 percent of hearings but that judges did so only about half the time. Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano (D) said Wednesday that his office released the bond data dashboard to increase transparency and identify disparities in local criminal justice. “You can't fix what you don't measure,” Descano said Wednesday. “You can’t address and find things anecdotally. We're actively trying to be part of the solution to build a better system — and data is a big part of that.”
The Washington Post
stories of national interest
An American Peace Corps employee in Tanzania killed a mother of three and injured two others in a series of crashes in 2019 after a night of drinking. USA TODAY has been unearthing documents and accounts of the incident involving high-ranking Peace Corps employee John Peterson. Within hours of the incident, the American was rushed onto a plane by the Peace Corps and U.S. Embassy staff and out of the country. Tanzanian and U.S. authorities never filed charges against Peterson. Peterson was suspended from his duties after causing the death overseas but remained on the payroll for more than a year before he resigned. The newspaper has filed more than 40 Freedom of Information Act requests about what happened in Tanzania and continues to probe key decisions about Peterson’s treatment.
USA TODAY
editorials & columns
We are living through a rising tide of politically and racially motivated crimes of violence, including assassination attempts on public officials who are just doing their jobs — operating the machinery of elections essential to self-government or defending those who carry out government functions, including the judges on whom we depend to administer our laws “without fear or favor.” Daniel’s Law is a narrowly tailored solution to a hugely important problem — important not just to the judges themselves but to the vital job they perform in our federal system, a job without which the entire edifice of law would come crashing down. The bill makes carefully designed exceptions for information “relevant to and displayed as part of a news story, commentary, editorial, or other speech on a matter of public concern.” Thus, the bill does not impinge on political speech or on the public’s interest in judicial accountability. At the same time, it closes a gaping loophole in the protection of the rights of privacy and, indeed, rights to life, of those who construe and enforce our federal laws.
Lawrence Tribe, The Hill
