Transparency News 7/6/15

 

Monday, July 6, 2015


State and Local Stories


Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones wants people to know how his administration is spending their money, officials said in a briefing showcasing the website, data.richmondgov.com. “The mayor really sees this as a tool of openness and transparency for the city as a whole, and he also sees it as a management tool of accountability,” said Grant Neely, Jones’ chief of staff. The portal brings together disparate data sets now scattered across the city’s website and adds new tools, such as a master list of expenditures that essentially allows users to flip through the city’s checkbook, said Douglas McCullough, director of information technology for the city. “This is a big step for the city of Richmond,” McCullough said. “This places us in line with what we think are Tier 1 cities.”
Times-Dispatch

A pattern of big donations by legislators to House Speaker William J. Howell's political action committee followed by plum committee assignments raises questions about another potential loophole in Virginia ethics law, some political scientists say. And it's the kind of pattern that's likely to contribute to Virginians' growing cynicism about politics. "Money talks, but it is one of many voices. Its importance is in the eye of the beholder," said Harry Wilson, a political scientist at Roanoke College. "Are people buying positions or are the positions simply going to those who are most committed to the cause, with contributions being one measure of commitment? No one can say for certain," he added. "From my perspective, to say that money plays no role would be naive, but to say it is all that matters is simplistic."
Daily Press

One icy evening in February, the City Council held its bimonthly meeting, discharging all of the city's business for that day in 12 minutes. The quick Feb. 24 meeting in Virginia Beach wasn't its speediest. That record - at least in the past 18 months - goes to its lickety-split June 3, 2014, session, which lasted four minutes. That's the minimum time dentists recommend we spend brushing our teeth each day. And it included a prayer and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The Beach council prides itself on quick and efficient public meetings, with Mayor Will Sessoms acting as taskmaster and often bragging about beating previous times. The feat is accomplished by placing the bulk of agenda items on a consent docket, which is voted on in one swoop and with no public debate. The council agrees in advance on which items to bundle, selecting only those on which no members of the public have asked to speak. If there isn't unanimity, council members often delay the vote until consensus is reached. In that time, the Beach City Council's formal meetings averaged less than an hour. Those in Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Suffolk lasted about twice as long on average. Only Norfolk had shorter meetings, an average of 45 minutes. Its shortest was 13 minutes.
Virginian-Pilot

Running a university with thousands of students and nearly as many demands isn’t an easy job, but with these kinds of paychecks it’s probably worth the trouble. As tuition continues to climb and the percentage of full-time professors on campuses continues to drop nationwide, the presidents at Virginia’s colleges and universities are seeing more and more generous compensation packages. Earlier this year, Watchdog.org requested the employment contracts for all of Virginia’s 15 public universities through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, with a mix of expected and unexpected results.
VirginiaWatchdog.org


National Stories
​
Opposition mounted Friday to a surprise Republican budget measure that would exempt from Wisconsin open records laws nearly everything created by state and local government officials, including drafts of legislation and communications with staff. The 24-page measure passed late Thursday night in the state’s budget committee on a 12-4 vote with only Republicans voting for it. Democrats on the committee decried the sudden insertion of changes that hadn’t been publicly discussed. The full Legislature, and GOP Gov. Scott Walker, still must sign off before they become law. A day later, a backlash began with civil liberties advocates and lawmakers from both parties expressing opposition to the provisions.
Washington Times
Faced with a swift and fierce backlash, Wisconsin Republicans on Saturday abandoned a plan that would have gutted the state's open records law. In a joint statement issued Saturday afternoon, Gov. Scott Walker and GOP legislative leaders said the provisions relating to any changes to the law would be removed from the state budget. "After substantive discussion over the last day, we have agreed that the provisions relating to any changes in the state's open records law will be removed from the budget in its entirety. We are steadfastly committed to open and accountable government," the statement read. "The intended policy goal of these changes was to provide a reasonable solution to protect constituents' privacy and to encourage a deliberative process between elected officials and their staff in developing policy. It was never intended to inhibit transparent government in any way." The announcement came from Walker, but it was also attributed to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette). Darling and Nygren are co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee. They added, "In order to allow for further debate on this issue outside of budget process, the Legislature will form a Legislative Council committee to more appropriately study it and allow for public discussion and input."
Journal Sentinel

Lawyers for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have moved to block a conservative lawyer's effort to pry into emails stored on the Clintons' private server. In a motion filed Thursday evening in federal court in West Palm Beach, Fla., the Clintons' attorneys ask that conservative gadfly Larry Klayman be temporarily barred from demanding information in connection with a racketeering lawsuit he filed in March against the couple and the Clinton Foundation. The suit alleges that the Clintons used the private email server to frustrate Freedom of Information Act requests Klayman filed for records about waivers of Iranian sanctions and about leaks relating to measures the U.S. and Israel took to deal with Iran's nuclear program.
Politico

The White House Correspondents’ Association unveiled a set of “principles and practices” Saturday in search of “meaningful and consistent access to the President and his or her aides whenever and wherever they conduct the public’s business.” The principles and a set of proposed practices reflect a growing frustration with the administration of President Barack Obama and a sense by those who cover the White House daily that they are increasingly kept in the dark.
Poynter

Americans' support for the First Amendment rebounded strongly over the past year, a new study says. Three-quarters of Americans say it "does not go too far" in ensuring Americans' freedom. That's a jump from 57% last year after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 stirred public debate about the role of social media during a crisis and the media's use of shocking images, according to State of the First Amendment 2015, a report by the Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center in partnership with USA TODAY. A year ago, 38% said the First Amendment goes too far, but the current survey shows only 19% agrees with the sentiment. The study saw a similar dive in public opinion and a subsequent recovery after the 2001 terrorist attacks, the authors noted.
USA TODAY


Editorials/Columns

Four years ago, members of the public could have led Christian prayers before board meetings and there would have been no case. Or members of the Board of Supervisors could have led a moment of silence before meetings. But when the elected government leaders of Pittsylvania County — the members of the Board of Supervisors — led Christian prayers before the start of meetings of the county government, that’s when the private act of prayer became a federal case. Bill Stanley, who represented the supervisors, thinks the county won because members of the community can now say Christian prayers publicly at board meetings. But they could have done that four years ago. If Stanley — or any member of the Board of Supervisors — now wants to declare victory in the name of political correctness, so be it. Let them repeat it, again and again: “We fought the ACLU. We didn’t waste your money, because we won.” But they didn’t win. They lost. And they could have had the same result four years ago for a lot less money.
Register & Bee