Transparency News 10/30/14
State and Local Stories
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors’ Finance, Government Services and Operations Committee recently voted, 3 to 2, to recommend pay increases for board members. The raises would go into effect in 2016, after next year’s elections. But several members of the county School Board, which engaged in tense discussions with the supervisors over the level of school funding during the most recent budget cycle, oppose the raise. Advocates of the pay raises say that the supervisors work long hours to carry out their responsibilities and that their salaries have not increased since 2008. ButSchool Board member Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) responded in a Facebook posting that she found the proposed pay increases “somewhat insulting.”
Washington Post
Notorious for meetings that sometimes linger toward midnight, the James City County Board of Supervisors is considering a range of options that might shorten the length of night meetings, including moving the general public comment period to an earlier start time. Board member Kevin Onizuk said he was concerned many businesses and legal professionals were uncertain what time the Board of Supervisors would be able to address their issues due to the general public comment periods. Onizuk said County Administrator Bryan Hill is developing a plan that would have board meetings kick off at 6 p.m. with the public comment period and have the business session start promptly at 7 p.m. “While we certainly value citizen input there are business items that need to be completed,” Onizuk said at the Board of Supervisors work session Tuesday. He said there was also a cost concern with the late hours adding to county expenses. “It can get expensive for us to keep our county staff and our broadcast crew fairly late some evenings,” he said.
Virginia Gazette
A Circuit Court judge has ruled that a criminal defendant can be compelled to give up his fingerprint, but not his pass code, to allow police to open and search his cellphone. The question of whether a phone's pass code is constitutionally protected surfaced in the case of David Baust, an Emergency Medical Services captain charged in February with trying to strangle his girlfriend. Prosecutors had said video equipment in Baust's bedroom may have recorded the couple's fight and, if so, the video could be on his cellphone. They wanted a judge to force Baust to unlock his phone, but Baust's attorney, James Broccoletti, argued pass codes are protected by the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits forced self-incrimination. Judge Steven C. Frucci ruled this week that giving police a fingerprint is akin to providing a DNA or handwriting sample or an actual key, which the law permits. A pass code, though, requires the defendant to divulge knowledge, which the law protects against, according to Frucci's written opinion.
Virginian-Pilot
The Martinsville School Board met with legal counsel in a closed session Wednesday to discuss “actual or probable litigation, or other specific legal matters” stemming from the board’s denial of a local pastor’s request to distribute Bibles in city schools. After about 90 minutes in closed session with Harrisonburg attorney Douglas L. Guynn, the board reconvened in open session during the special meeting, certified that the matters it discussed in closed session complied with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, and adjourned. “Counsel is going to follow up with a number of things that we raised,” said board chairman Robert Williams. He declined to elaborate.
Martinsville Bulletin
The City of Fairfax was named last week by Google Corp. as the eCity for the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was selected for inclusion on a list of “digital capitals of America” for 2014. In its recognition, Google stated, “The City of Fairfax Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places, but Fairfax has a modern online presence, too. The city’s comprehensive website offers easy access to school issues, tax assessments and more.” Google’s eCity Awards “recognize the strongest online business community in each state,” observing how businesses in each city use their web presence for business development and customer service. Google based its results on examining the economic value provided by Google Search and AdWords, Google AdSense and Google Ad Grants in 2013.
Fairfax Connection
National Stories
Houston city attorneys have withdrawn subpoenas that sought speeches and other information from five pastors who publicly opposed an ordinance banning discrimination against gay and transgender residents, Mayor Annise Parker said Wednesday. She said the subpoenas, which the city pursued after opponents filed a lawsuit seeking a vote on repealing the ordinance, inadvertently created a national debate about freedom of religion. The pastors, who are not plaintiffs but support repeal efforts, argued that their sermons, presentations and other material were protected under the First Amendment.New York Times
Attorney General Eric Holder says he has one regret: his department's court order for Fox News reporter James Rosen's emails labeling him a criminal "co-conspirator." The outgoing attorney general, who recently announced his retirement, addressed the controversial episode during the "Washington Ideas Forum" on Wednesday. Asked what decision he wishes he could do over, Holder said: "I think about the subpoena to the Fox reporter, Rosen."
Fox News
Editorials/Columns
Roger Chesley, Virginian-Pilot
I know I might strain your patience by telling yet another Ben Bradlee anecdote. We’ve heard a lot of them since the death last week of the Greatest Editor of the Greatest Generation. I ask your indulgence partly because this story, unlike some others, is not entirely flattering. That would have pleased Bradlee, who was always committed to telling a story, warts and all. I have to believe Bradlee hired reporter Sharon Walsh because he respected her for having the nerve to call him out for a question he shouldn’t have asked. That would highlight Bradlee’s commitment to accountability, the standout quality that made him a hero to at least two generations of journalists. He became the personal embodiment of our trade’s most revered mission, to challenge the powerful. As we bid Bradlee adieu, the important question to ask is whether that commitment to accountability will survive the current economic crisis afflicting the news media.
Robert McCartney, Washington Post
