Transparency News 11/13/14
State and Local Stories
Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment said Wednesday that it may be time to change the way Virginia chooses judges. He's no stranger the controversy and acrimony the current process breeds. It gives the General Assembly's majority party great power, and Norment is always in the thick of things. But on Monday the House and Senate couldn't agree on a slate of new Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges, and members were forced to recess their special session without a resolution. New elections may have to wait until January, but the General Assembly technically remains in session, which keeps Gov. Terry McAuliffe from being able to make appointments.
Daily Press
A special prosecutor will examine Mayor Will Sessoms’ voting record for conflict-of-interest violations, and his bosses at TowneBank will pay him to stay home while they do the same. Wednesday’s events occurred days after a Pilot investigation showed that Sessoms voted dozens of times on issues directly benefiting customers of TowneBank, where he serves as a president. Sessoms has not spoken publicly. The bank and local law enforcement announced their decisions before noon. Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle recused himself before opening an investigation, citing a conflict. His brother Ken, the city’s sheriff, is on the board of TowneBank, and his wife has worked at a bank branch for four years. The Virginia Beach mayor and City Council also supplement his office’s annual budget.
Virginian-Pilot
The Waynesboro school board will hear recommendations to fille a vacated position at their next meeting, on Dec. 9. To be considered for the job, the nominee has to be at the public hearing that night. Because Jones served as the at-large board member, any resident of Waynesboro who is currently eligible to vote in the city can fill the rest of her term. The position is appointed by the school board, rather than through a special election because the term is up within a two year period. Jones would have be up for re-election in May of 2016. The Dec. 9 date was set for the public hearing because all vacancies of this type have to be filled within 45 days of coming open. Residents can come to the meeting and either express their interest in the position or offer up someone else for the nomination. No one can offer recommendations outside of that public hearing. Then during the public meeting, the candidates will be asked questions by the school board members.
News Virginian
National Stories
Hours after President Obama called for the Federal Communications Commission to pass tougher regulations on high-speed Internet providers, the agency’s Democratic chairman told a group of business executives that he was moving in a different direction. Huddled in an FCC conference room with officials from major Web companies, including Google, Yahoo and Etsy, agency Chairman Tom Wheeler said he has preferred a more nuanced solution.Washington Post
Gov.-elect Larry Hogan (R) said Tuesday that his transition team is working hard to “put a government together” but that he does not plan to talk publicly about substantive policy issues until he is sworn in. Hogan’s message to those trying to figure out his stances on issues such as whether to move forward with the light-rail Purple Line between Bethesda and New Carrollton: “They should just keep on guessing, because I’m going to be governor Jan. 21, and we will start talking about policy then.”
Governing
Despite the Internet’s ever-growing social and economic relevance, a sizable number of Americans in select cities still aren’t connected. For the first time, the Census Bureau collected data measuring Internet adoption in its most recent annual American Community Survey. The results depict disparities in connectivity and the current state of Internet connectivity at the local level, estimating numbers of households with access and how residents are connecting. Nationwide, 79 percent of American households in 2013 had some form of Internet access – including mobile broadband and slower connections. Nearly all houses are hooked up to the Internet in some cities, but in other large jurisdictions, more than a third of households remain without access.
Governing
Editorials/Columns
Times-Dispatch
Maybe the "conflicted" state of affairs - now under a microscope in Virginia Beach - was difficult for Mayor Will Sessoms to avoid. Local residents, however, are rightfully incensed about Sessoms' actions recently reported by The Pilot's John Holland. The Beach mayor, who's also a president of TowneBank, is under scrutiny for dozens of votes he's taken since joining the City Council in January 2009.
Roger Chesley, Virginian-Pilot
