Transparency News 6/18/18

Monday
June 18, 2018

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state & local news stories

"MWAAA board chairman Warner Session said he saw no value in sharing Potter’s contract with the public."

A recent fund-raising pitch from the Virginia House Democratic Caucus says legal bills from the four recount battles after the 2017 legislative elections — including the one in Newport News that ended with a tie that was resolved only by drawing lots — will exceed $1 million. You have to dig into a part of campaign finance reports that many overlook, the schedule that details loans, to see the total — that’s usually where we find how much first-time candidates borrow to launch their efforts. Incumbents, you’ll be shocked to learn, tend to have an easy time raising money from Virginia’s friendly and generous lobbyists. Curious, Shad Plank asked the GOP caucus for its total. Spokesman Parker Slaybaugh says not all the bills are in, but added they’re expected to amount to about two-tenths of the Democratic total.
Daily Press

The head of Dulles International and Reagan National airports is among the highest-paid airport executives in the country, earning significantly more than those who run the nation’s busiest airports, a Washington Post survey found. John E. “Jack” Potter, president and chief executive of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, makes a base salary of just over $451,000 a year. By comparison, Roosevelt Council Jr., who until earlier this month served as general manager of the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, made less than half that — $221,000 a year. Board member David Speck added, “Jack’s compensation is a reflection of the magnitude and success he’s had in managing two airports. When you make a comparison of the full compensation [packages], Jack is right in the middle.” The Washington Post was unable to make that comparison because MWAA refused to provide a copy of Potter’s contract or release any information beyond his base salary, citing an exemption in its Freedom of Information policy. Although the agency has in the past released a copy of Potter’s contract and those of two other MWAA executives, officials said concerns about the privacy of employees now outweigh the public interest in the contract. MWAAA board chairman Warner Session said he saw no value in sharing Potter’s contract with the public.
The Washington Post

stories of national interest

World War II veteran Rosario "Russ" Bonanno was facing worsening dementia when his family brought him last year to the Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home in Bedford, Massachusetts. He had been in assisted living, but after six years, some family members thought he needed more specialized care. Within days after Bonanno arrived, his son Nick said the 93-year-old was “dazed, confused, disheveled" as staff began medicating him. He wasn’t the only resident who looked drugged. "Everyone looks like a zombie," Nick said. What Nick and his family didn’t know was that the Bedford facility ranked among the worst of 133 VA nursing homes across the country, in part for giving so many residents anti-psychotic drugs. But the VA knew. The agency has tracked detailed quality statistics on its nursing homes for years but has kept them from public view, depriving veterans of potentially crucial health care information. Nearly half of VA nursing homes nationwide – 60 – received the agency'slowest ranking of one out of five stars as of Dec. 31, 2017, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY and The Boston Globe.
News Leader

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Minnesota law that prohibits people from wearing political clothing or buttons at polling places, calling the ban overly broad but leaving room for the state to impose narrower restrictions. The 7-2 ruling invalidating the particulars of Minnesota's law left state and county officials who administer elections unsure what's proper attire and what isn't for the upcoming August primary and the November general election. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority that Minnesota's law needed clearer parameters for both voters and election officials to avoid confusion and prevent potential violations of First Amendment free-speech rights.
Governing
 

editorials & columns

"Social media allows government to know what they think about issues."

Tools that reach out to more people, keep them informed, and solicit their opinions make governance more transparent and accountable.  Those tools also slow things down and make decisions more “complicated.” Governance evolves.  Social media is the next step in our evolution.  It allows Government at all levels to go “virtual” and reach beyond the t-shirt crowd and campaign donors.  Prince William, in my opinion, does a pretty job of governance following the 20th century model.  If you care enough to put on matching t-shirts and show up, you will probably get what you want.  Perhaps it’s time to move into the 21st century and go from “good” to “great.”  Many people are too busy commuting to and from work, working or raising a family, or just plain too tired after a long day to attend a board meeting. Social media allows government to know what they think about issues.  It opens up discussion to a wider audience.
Al Alborn, InsideNoVa