Transparency News 5/12/16

State and Local Stories

Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s administration says the felons whose rights he restored in a blanket order April 22 were “overwhelmingly nonviolent” and, on average, completed the terms of their release 11 years ago. The administration released an analysis Wednesday that found that more than 79 percent of the felons whose rights were restored “were convicted of felonies that were nonviolent in nature.” The administration’s analysis leaves many questions unanswered. For example, it does not list the crimes that the felons committed. It also does not say how many ex-offenders still owe money as a result of their convictions. The administration has refused to release a list of the 206,000 ex-offenders whose rights the governor restored in his blanket order and says the information is exempt under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Gov. Terry McAuliffe's administration released a partial statistical profile Wednesday of the 206,000 felons whose voting rights he restored in a surprise executive order last month. About half are white, and half black. Nearly 77 percent are male. The administration says 79 percent were convicted only of non-violent crimes. The average person's age is about 46, and their average time since release and completion of parole or probation is just over 11 years, the administration said in a news release. The data, available online at governor.virginia.gov/rordata, doesn't reveal the specific crimes committed, nor does it name felons who've had their rights restored. The administration declined a Daily Press request Thursday to release the raw data from its analysis, much as it declined a similar Freedom of Information Act request last month.
Daily Press

The City of Wincehster launched a digital "budget transparency tool" on Tuesday through Silicon Valley-based OpenGov. In essence, the tool allows people to see how the city’s budget is divvied up. Users can view revenue and expenditure trends and explore multiple views of financial data broken down by fund, department, expense or revenue type. "Who doesn’t love a pie graph?" Mary Blowe, the city’s chief financial officer, said while demonstrating the site to City Council at its Tuesday work session.
Winchester Star

In a written ruling issued Monday, Nelson County Circuit Court Judge Michael Garrett found the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s survey notices were “legally insufficient.” The ruling in the suit filed by 37 landowners found the Notice of Intent to Enter to survey those properties was not reasonable enough for the owners to protect their interest.
Richmond Times-Dispatch



National Stories
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A federal law protecting driver's license data does not allow Wisconsin police departments to withhold driver information from accident reports, the Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. But whether that law might require such redaction in other kinds of reports would depend on what function police are serving by releasing the records, and whether the information was obtained directly from department of motor vehicle records, or merely verified with that information. The 30-page ruling will likely trigger continued litigation and confusion over access to routine public records that Wisconsin authorities began to restrict in light of a failed class action 2010 lawsuit in Illinois filed under the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act, or DPPA.
Journal Sentinel



Editorials/Columns

If you thought that the conviction of former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell would stem Virginia’s tendency toward corruption, think again. Consider what’s happening in Bristol, a town that straddles Tennessee (six hours by car from the District) and that is considered the home of modern country music. Local corruption, as detailed by the Roanoke Times, makes the McDonnell case look like cheating on a grade school test. Meanwhile, back in Richmond, not much has been done to rein in the cozy relationships the state’s public officials have with people they do business with, despite the McDonnell trial. The “Virginia Way” has it that the state’s politicians are gentlemanly cavaliers who are above venal corruption. Hence the state still takes the light touch on corruption issues. It’s no surprise that the Bristol and McDonnell cases were pursued by federal prosecutors rather than state ones.
Peter Galuszka, Washington Post