Transparency News 12/1/15

State and Local Stories

The city of Petersburg and its mayor have settled a lawsuit that claimed the city violated a citizen’s right to free speech. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia on behalf of Linwood Christian in July, claims Christian was not allowed to speak during the public discussion portion of a council meeting because of an unpaid fee associated with his failed run for the Petersburg School Board in 2014.
According to the ACLU, the city will pay $3,000 for Christian’s attorney fees and issue a statement on its website affirming citizens’ rights to speak during public comment period at City Council meetings.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Suffolk Public Schools spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw added that while she was able to fulfill the verbal [FOIA] request while the reporter waited, a written request is preferred “for record-keeping.” It’s also not always possible to get the information immediately, Bradshaw said. “It is important for the public to understand that responding to a FOIA request often involves several SPS employees and sometimes several hours of research to compile the information,” she wrote. “The school division is allowed to charge for staff time and other costs associated with supplying the requested records.”
Suffolk News-Herald

Getting more University of Virginia students involved in local government is the goal of the Charlottesville City Council’s new UVa student liaison. After the City Council voted in January to restore the liaison position, Maeve Curtin, a second-year studying politics, was selected for the position by her Student Council peers.  The liaison seat was established in 2004 as an unpaid, non-voting position. After the first liaison graduated, the seat sat empty, according to city officials. Earlier this year, students requested the City Council pass a resolution allowing them to reappoint a new liaison.
Daily Progress

Pittsylvania County is allowing residents to contact 911 via text message. The county’s “text to 911” option begins Tuesday and is aimed at residents who are speech or hearing impaired. It’s also for individuals facing circumstances in which texting is the best and safest way to contact 911, said Jim Davis, emergency management coordinator for Pittsylvania County.
Register & Bee


National Stories
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A trove of Hillary Clinton’s emails released by the State Department on Monday shows efforts by aides to solicit advice for a concussion she sustained in 2012 and illustrates Mrs. Clinton’s personal difficulty with technology. The department also made public one email after rejecting concerns from an inspector general that it contained classified information. That email, released along with 7,800 pages of messages that Mrs. Clinton sent and received when she was secretary of state, was an exchange between P. J. Crowley, at the time a State Department spokesman, and Scott Shane, a reporter for The New York Times, concerning decisions the newspaper had made about publishing information from government documents it had obtained from WikiLeaks.
New York Times


Editorials/Columns

As I watched candidates and incumbents compete for positions on the Prince William County School Board, I had to ask myself, “Why would anyone want the job?” When compared to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, the perks of a school board member are abysmal. They actually manage a larger budget ($1.3 billion), more people and facilities, and a more complex system with little or no administrative support, no office space, no boardroom, and pay so low it’s a joke.
Al Alborn, Inside NOVA

Ever wonder why a Virginia governor needs to hear thoughts of his advisory council on revenue estimates behind closed doors? Turns out, the corporate big-wigs on the Governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates weren't just wrestling with tax collection data when they gathered today. They were talking about how their businesses are faring, and what they expect for the year ahead. Things like plans for employee pay raises, sales forecasts, layoffs and expansion plans. "I think even you would say that's proprietary," said Brian Coy, spokesman for Gov. Terry McAuliffe. While the revenue and economic forecasts the governor used to prepare his budget proposal for the next two years will be public on Dec 17, the projections state officials brought to today's closed door session with the CEOs are considered working papers of the governor.
Dave Ress, Daily Press