Members of the General Assembly again are trying to alter the requirement that public notices — about board or council meetings, specifications for contract bids and the like — be published in local newspapers. Changes could make it harder for members of the public to obtain information about their governments. Full disclosure here: Newspapers benefit from advertising revenue when such advertisements are placed. But the chief reason for concern about these proposed alternatives is that they may further distance the public from government decision-makers.
Anything that makes it harder for members of the public to track their government also makes it easier for public officials to avoid accountability. We’re not saying that’s why officials want the changes. But the effect could benefit them at the expense of constituents.
Daily Progress
Legislators have undertaken trips subsidized by outside sources. The jaunts fall into various categories. Groups and interests pay for members to attend out-of-town meetings and conferences. The members might serve as guest speakers or even keynoters. Certain trips resemble fact-finding tours during which senators and delegates can visit sites and operations with implications for Virginia policy. Other trips take legislators to events — the Masters golf tournament, e.g. — that have nothing to do with public service. If the first two categories can be justified, the final one cannot be. Members should know to say no to them. A trip to the Masters may be well-intentioned but it still raises questions of propriety. Special interests may have the resources to take legislators to championships, but the average citizen does not. We trust the integrity of the lobbyists we have met, but a retreat to Augusta crosses the line. Such gifts implicitly suggest access to clout is at stake.
Times-Dispatch
If you were a state lawmaker and heard that Virginians didn't understand how the U.S. government works, or why it was created the way it was, would you: a) Research test scores to see if Virginia's students really perform poorly on state-mandated civics exams, or b) Reflexively accept what you heard and require that all Virginia high school students take a federal citizenship test in addition to all of the other tests mandated through Virginia's Standards of Learning? If you answered "a," here's what you found: Last year, 86 percent of all Virginia students passed the state SOL exam on civics and economics. In 2012-13, 87 percent passed; in 2011-12, 86 percent passed. If you answered "b," you're in step with some Republicans in Virginia's House of Delegates. They want to mandate that all Virginia students pass the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement department's naturalization exam before they're allowed to graduate.
Virginian-Pilot
Apple has been in existence for less than 40 years, yet it is the world's most valuable company and brand, with a market capitalization north of $700 billion and over $160 billon in the bank. Beyond its financial strength and market dominance, Apple's internal culture and its approach to its business have become the gold standard for a number of industries. So how can a public-sector organization become "the Apple of government?" Apple describes itself not as a computer or technology company but as one that combines the roles of innovator, integrator and — of particular applicability to government — experience provider. Besides its function as a democratic institution, the role of government is to be the protagonist for a better quality of life for residents/citizens/taxpayers. In that pursuit, beyond the delivery of public services and programs, government also creates a sensory experience. Ask residents of a city if they feel safe and the reply won't be about the number of officers on the police force but about their perceptions — a blend of their own experiences, first-hand and otherwise.
Patrick Ibarra, Governing