Transparency News, 7/6/21
Tuesday
July 6, 2021
July 6, 2021
state & local news stories
"Despite discussion among the board in April about scheduling consideration of the permit in the evening or on a weekend to increase public accessibility, the deliberations were scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon in Richmond."
The full text of FOIA, with changes effective today, is posted on VCOG's website.
The State Air Pollution Control Board has deferred consideration of a permit for a controversial compressor station in Pittsylvania County to September following complaints about the scheduling of a midday, midweek meeting in Richmond to consider the issue. The required air permit for the Pittsylvania compressor station has been hotly contested, with the air board receiving hundreds of comments on the proposal. But despite discussion among the board in April about scheduling consideration of the permit in the evening or on a weekend to increase public accessibility, the deliberations were scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon in Richmond. DEQ also said that with the lifting of the COVID-19 emergency, the meeting would be in-person only, and the agency did not have the resources to run a hybrid in-person and virtual meeting. Several groups protested the decision. In one letter, the Pittsylvania County branch of the NAACP urged the air board to either add a virtual component to the meeting or hold it closer to the proposed site of the compressor station.
Virginia Mercury
Just as they have for the last year, appointed and elected officials in Charlottesville and Albemarle County still will be able to attend meetings from their homes, their cars, while at work or while on vacation — for at least the next two months. Even with the state of emergency lifted for Virginia, the city and county will stay under local emergencies and continue to hold virtual meetings for most of their public bodies for the coming months. Despite being in one of the highest vaccinated areas in the state, local officials point to the COVID-19 delta variant, allowing more time for additional residents to get vaccinated and community hesitancy as reasons they likely will not end fully virtual meetings until the late summer or early fall.
The Daily Progress
Rep. Gerry Connolly says he wants to shine a light on the proceedings of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Democrat, who represents portions of Prince William and Fairfax counties in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, will reintroduce his Cameras in the Courtroom Act.
Potomac Local News
The Tazewell County Circuit Court has rejected a move for a temporary injunction against recent actions by the Richlands Town Council. Bob Altizer, attorney for the town, said the plaintiffs, listed on the court file as Richard Wood II and Jannis R. White, wanted to enjoin the town in enforcing the annual budget that was adopted by the town on June 21 as well as four revenue ordinances that were also adopted on June 21. Two issues were discussed in the arguments, he said. One related to the annual budget and the four revenue-generating ordinances that were adopted by council and went into effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Altizer said the other issue involved Richlands Vice Mayor Mary Ann Strong, who was the deciding vote on the ordinances. Two-thirds of the council, four out of six votes, were needed, he said, and the tally was 4-2 in support of the actions. “Mary Ann Strong is vice mayor and the mayor had health issues and could not attend the meeting,” Altizer said, adding that in her role as vice mayor she fulfilled the duties of the mayor and ran the meeting. “The complainants argued she should not have been allowed to vote because she was serving as mayor, who can only vote in ties…” he said. “The town argued she was not the mayor, she was vice mayor, and was just assuming the duties, not the position. She was still a member of council and her vote was properly counted.”
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
A group of people gathered in the rear of the Augusta County Government Center's board room and held a prayer before the Augusta County School Board meeting took place on Thursday night. Following a public comment section that lasted nearly an hour and a half — all but one of the speakers were opposed to the policy revisions — the School Board voted unanimously to delay its decision on the issue until August 5. That decision was met with derision from the standing-room only crowd. David Shiflett, the board's representative for the Middle River District, told the packed room that he realized many were expecting a vote during the Thursday meeting, but he wasn't yet ready to make that vote. North River District board member Nick Collins agreed with Shiflett and said he spent nearly 30 hours already researching the information, but felt he learned even more during the Thursday meeting. "I don't want to vote on it tonight," said Collins, who was interrupted several times by those in attendance unhappy with his decision. Collins pounded his fist on the desk when one audience member interrupted him and said, "No ma'am, I've got the floor."
News Leader
Virginia’s redistricting commission will meet in person for the first time Tuesday. The meeting in Richmond comes after months of virtual meetings. Tuesday’s meeting will have both legislators and citizen members of the Virginia redistricting commission meeting in person. Between a newly-expired state of emergency last week and new legislation on virtual participation, the commissioners are learning how to do business - again. Meeting in person for the first time brings some special attention to public involvement now that voters can attend in real life.
WVTF
A Virginia school board spent tens of thousands on critical race theory coaching last year, according to newly revealed public documents. The Loudon County Public Schools paid $34,000 for 55 hours of coaching that contrasted concepts such as “White Individualism” with “Color Group Collectivism,” according to a report. The documents, obtained by a parent using freedom of information legislation, show that the cash went to Equity Collaborative, a consulting firm that offers coaching on critical race theory.
New York Post
The full text of FOIA, with changes effective today, is posted on VCOG's website.
The State Air Pollution Control Board has deferred consideration of a permit for a controversial compressor station in Pittsylvania County to September following complaints about the scheduling of a midday, midweek meeting in Richmond to consider the issue. The required air permit for the Pittsylvania compressor station has been hotly contested, with the air board receiving hundreds of comments on the proposal. But despite discussion among the board in April about scheduling consideration of the permit in the evening or on a weekend to increase public accessibility, the deliberations were scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon in Richmond. DEQ also said that with the lifting of the COVID-19 emergency, the meeting would be in-person only, and the agency did not have the resources to run a hybrid in-person and virtual meeting. Several groups protested the decision. In one letter, the Pittsylvania County branch of the NAACP urged the air board to either add a virtual component to the meeting or hold it closer to the proposed site of the compressor station.
Virginia Mercury
Just as they have for the last year, appointed and elected officials in Charlottesville and Albemarle County still will be able to attend meetings from their homes, their cars, while at work or while on vacation — for at least the next two months. Even with the state of emergency lifted for Virginia, the city and county will stay under local emergencies and continue to hold virtual meetings for most of their public bodies for the coming months. Despite being in one of the highest vaccinated areas in the state, local officials point to the COVID-19 delta variant, allowing more time for additional residents to get vaccinated and community hesitancy as reasons they likely will not end fully virtual meetings until the late summer or early fall.
The Daily Progress
Rep. Gerry Connolly says he wants to shine a light on the proceedings of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Democrat, who represents portions of Prince William and Fairfax counties in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, will reintroduce his Cameras in the Courtroom Act.
Potomac Local News
The Tazewell County Circuit Court has rejected a move for a temporary injunction against recent actions by the Richlands Town Council. Bob Altizer, attorney for the town, said the plaintiffs, listed on the court file as Richard Wood II and Jannis R. White, wanted to enjoin the town in enforcing the annual budget that was adopted by the town on June 21 as well as four revenue ordinances that were also adopted on June 21. Two issues were discussed in the arguments, he said. One related to the annual budget and the four revenue-generating ordinances that were adopted by council and went into effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Altizer said the other issue involved Richlands Vice Mayor Mary Ann Strong, who was the deciding vote on the ordinances. Two-thirds of the council, four out of six votes, were needed, he said, and the tally was 4-2 in support of the actions. “Mary Ann Strong is vice mayor and the mayor had health issues and could not attend the meeting,” Altizer said, adding that in her role as vice mayor she fulfilled the duties of the mayor and ran the meeting. “The complainants argued she should not have been allowed to vote because she was serving as mayor, who can only vote in ties…” he said. “The town argued she was not the mayor, she was vice mayor, and was just assuming the duties, not the position. She was still a member of council and her vote was properly counted.”
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
A group of people gathered in the rear of the Augusta County Government Center's board room and held a prayer before the Augusta County School Board meeting took place on Thursday night. Following a public comment section that lasted nearly an hour and a half — all but one of the speakers were opposed to the policy revisions — the School Board voted unanimously to delay its decision on the issue until August 5. That decision was met with derision from the standing-room only crowd. David Shiflett, the board's representative for the Middle River District, told the packed room that he realized many were expecting a vote during the Thursday meeting, but he wasn't yet ready to make that vote. North River District board member Nick Collins agreed with Shiflett and said he spent nearly 30 hours already researching the information, but felt he learned even more during the Thursday meeting. "I don't want to vote on it tonight," said Collins, who was interrupted several times by those in attendance unhappy with his decision. Collins pounded his fist on the desk when one audience member interrupted him and said, "No ma'am, I've got the floor."
News Leader
Virginia’s redistricting commission will meet in person for the first time Tuesday. The meeting in Richmond comes after months of virtual meetings. Tuesday’s meeting will have both legislators and citizen members of the Virginia redistricting commission meeting in person. Between a newly-expired state of emergency last week and new legislation on virtual participation, the commissioners are learning how to do business - again. Meeting in person for the first time brings some special attention to public involvement now that voters can attend in real life.
WVTF
A Virginia school board spent tens of thousands on critical race theory coaching last year, according to newly revealed public documents. The Loudon County Public Schools paid $34,000 for 55 hours of coaching that contrasted concepts such as “White Individualism” with “Color Group Collectivism,” according to a report. The documents, obtained by a parent using freedom of information legislation, show that the cash went to Equity Collaborative, a consulting firm that offers coaching on critical race theory.
New York Post
stories from around the country
In the years leading up to the collapse of a residential condo building in Surfside, the town’s Building Department was plagued by disorganization and lack of communication — so much so that former town manager Guillermo Olmedillo placed the department under administrative review, according to a January 2019 memorandum obtained by the Miami Herald. The memo, which included a bullet-pointed list of action items, was addressed to former building department director Ross Prieto, who recently made headlines for his failure to raise alarms in late 2018 about “major structural damage” in the Champlain Towers South condo that partially collapsed last Thursday, killing at least 18 and leaving more than 140 missing as of Wednesday. Almost all of Surfside’s permit and inspection records were on paper, meaning the process was slow and lacked transparency, Olmedillo said. And without records readily accessible, it was easier for residents to lodge complaints and accuse building officials of cutting corners. The county’s records, on the other hand, were entirely online.
Miami Herald
Following an order by a magistrate judge to produce documents, the City of West Haven (Connecticut) said it has turned over material to an incarcerated man who claimed the Police Department had withheld reports he sought. Attorney Michael Leone, who represented the city in the case brought by Roderick Lewis, said West Haven has complied with the order. Lewis, who is serving a 14-year sentence for a thwarted home invasion on Myrtle Avenue in 2013, requested police documents as part of a federal lawsuit filed an attempt to demonstrate that his arrest in that case was a “conflict of interest” and constituted retaliation for a harassment complaint he filed against a detective following a 2009 traffic stop that he alleged turned into a body search for drugs, according the order by Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish.
New Haven Register
Miami Herald
Following an order by a magistrate judge to produce documents, the City of West Haven (Connecticut) said it has turned over material to an incarcerated man who claimed the Police Department had withheld reports he sought. Attorney Michael Leone, who represented the city in the case brought by Roderick Lewis, said West Haven has complied with the order. Lewis, who is serving a 14-year sentence for a thwarted home invasion on Myrtle Avenue in 2013, requested police documents as part of a federal lawsuit filed an attempt to demonstrate that his arrest in that case was a “conflict of interest” and constituted retaliation for a harassment complaint he filed against a detective following a 2009 traffic stop that he alleged turned into a body search for drugs, according the order by Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish.
New Haven Register
editorials & opinion
For many states and localities, July 1 marked the start of the upcoming fiscal year — the July-to-June calendar governments use for accounting purposes. City councils, mayors, boards of supervisors, county administrators and key finance officials worked hard on budgets. We hope that approach is not just for the next 12 months, but a forward-looking one that thoughtfully forecasts conditions for the next few years. As Virginia and the rest of the world continue to endure the COVID-19 pandemic, truth and integrity in budgeting matter more than ever. This past March, The Volcker Alliance — a nonprofit founded in 2013 by former Federal Reserve Board Chair Paul A. Volcker, focused on helping the public sector solve key challenges — published “Truth and Integrity in State Budgeting: Preparing for the Storm.” The commonwealth also received a C for “transparency,” deemed as “data that public officials and citizens need to understand budgets.” Both scores were below the national averages of a B in each category.
The Daily Progress
The Daily Progress
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