Transparency News 7/7/14

Monday, July 7, 2014

State and Local Stories

The state and federal governments are slated to spend nearly $13 million this year on elections in Virginia. That funds the Virginia Department of Elections, which has 37 authorized positions, and helps localities hire registrars and other elections staff. But it doesn't nearly cover the full cost of running elections. "The localities do bear the majority of the costs of putting on elections," said Edgardo Cortes, who Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently tapped to be the state's new commissioner of elections.
Daily Press

Norfolk police now post news to Facebook, just like the rest of us. Across the country, many departments have turned to Facebook and Twitter as a means of getting information out to the public. Norfolk has followed the trend, said Cpl. Melinda Wray, spokeswoman for the Norfolk Police Department. "Is it our only venue? No, it's not," Wray said. "But it is something we plan on doing more of than we did in the past." In the past week, Norfolk police used email to alert news agencies to information on the department's social media accounts.
Virginian-Pilot

Portsmouth officials shut down the final two performances of a sailing ship-based troupe that they had promoted as a "pirate-themed music/circus art show" but that turned out to include political messages, dark themes and profanity. The show involves a multimedia set design with large puppet heads and elaborate rigging on the deck of the tall ship Amara Zee, which docked at High Street landing at Water Street. Through songs and narration, video imagery and actors doing acrobatics, the show tells the story of hacker "pirates" who have stolen gold from the Mammon corporation, which dominates the world's resources, and intend to redistribute the wealth. Law enforcement and the company's henchmen chase them into the "Mammon House of Horror." Paul Kirby, the show’s writer and director, said Caravan made the subject matter clear in correspondence with Portsmouth officials. In an email dated June 3, which Kirby forwarded to The Virginian-Pilot, one of Caravan's staff members wrote to Wanda Gill, assistant director of the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services. "You mentioned that you wanted to announce the show as a family event," the email read. "Well, I just wanted to be clear about this: the show is suitable for ages 11-12 years and older. Kids can come but it's not really adapted for them." Nita Mensia-Joseph, a deputy city manager,said city staff studied pictures on Caravan's website and read online reviews before approving the Portsmouth engagement. Based on the information they found, they envisioned a different performance, she said.
Virginian-Pilot

A flurry of state lawmaker resignations in recent weeks has paved the way for the next generation of aspiring public servants to land a seat in a shifting General Assembly. But for some departing elected officials, saying goodbye to public office is bringing a welcome financial windfall — a high-paying state job that dramatically boosts the value of an otherwise modest lawmaker pension. Members of the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate make roughly $18,000 a year. Among other perks, the part-time job entitles them to full-time health benefits. After five years, a lawmaker is also vested in the state pension system. State employees of retirement age who have served 30 years are entitled to an annual pension equivalent to half of the average salary of the three highest-income-earning years of state employment. Employees who retire with fewer than 30 years’ service receive a pension that is proportionately lower. That means part-time lawmakers can maximize their pensions with only three years of government service in a higher-paying job.
Times-Dispatch

On Saturday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 30 Historic Jamestowne will commemorate First Assembly Day, the anniversary of the first legislative assembly in English North America.  On Saturday, July 26, guests are invited to join an interactive presentation at the Historic Jamestowne Memorial Church, which was erected on the site of the original church where the 1619 General Assembly met. The program times will be 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. in the church. Led by living history interpreters, guests will be able to take roles and participate in several short “scenes,” representative of the events that occurred during the historic first meeting of the assembly.
Virginia Gazette

National Stories

The web page set up by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office to track freedom of information document requests pales in comparison to the government transparency standards currently in place at the federal level. The mayor’s office introduced its Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request tracker website on June 9. That website merely displays the dates on which requests were received and decided upon and the status for each request. The lack of transparency on the mayor’s FOIL website is quickly apparent in comparison to the freedom of information website used by the federal government. The federal website displays the name of each requester and the full description of each request. In addition, the documents sent in response to each request are available for the public to download.
The Epoch Times

Maintaining Internet openness in the face of both commercialization and government crackdowns will be crucial over the next 10 years, according to a Pew Internet Project report that canvassed 1,400 experts about the Web’s future between now and 2025. “More than one-third of those who access the Internet are accessing a censored version of it and that number continues to grow,” wrote Jillian C. York, director for international freedom of expression for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Poynter
 

Editorials/Columns

Virginia enjoys a well-earned reputation as a good-government state, but its image has taken some hits of late. January brought the indictment of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife for accepting gifts and loans from a campaign donor. And now, the June resignation of state Sen. Phil Puckett is the subject of a criminal probe, investigating whether he was offered a job to step down. While neither may have violated the law, these unsightly blemishes harm the commonwealth by eroding the people's confidence in their government. The bonds of trust between citizens and public officials are weakened by this type of behavior, and we are right to expect better from those elected to serve. The existence of criminal intent is for the justice system to decide. We are instead worried about how this episode reflects on Virginia government and the perception of how business is done in Richmond. After all, how can we ask citizens to participate in elections or engage their elected officials when they believe decisions are made in backroom deals and not through principled debate?
Daily Press

Most candidates for public office, when asked, will pledge their support for open and transparent government. The real question is: Are they committed to fixing problems and expanding what information is available? Recently, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council drew up a "Legislative wish list for open government" — changes in state law to improve access and accountability. As the various candidates in this fall's elections crow about how open they will be, here are some specific proposals they could and should be asked about.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel