Transparency News, 7/7/21

Christiansburg councilwoman Johana Hicks is threatening legal action against several of her colleagues, including accusing them of harassment and defamation in a recently drawn up document. The accusations are among a number of claims made by Hicks in a “notice to cease and desist” addressed to all but one of her fellow council members—Councilman Sam Bishop is not named in the document. A Montgomery County General District Court hearing on a separate Freedom of Information Act matter that Hicks is raising was also set for Friday morning, but was rescheduled. She said she believes the town of Christiansburg has not returned some public records to her in an appropriate timeframe.
The Roanoke Times

A grand jury on Tuesday indicted Roanoke City Council member on two charges of felony embezzlement. Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell said in a news release that the case arose from a complaint from the Northwest Neighborhood Environmental Organization, a nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable housing that formed in 1980 to revitalize parts of northwest Roanoke. Attorney Tim Spencer said Jeffrey remains a council member and retains the full authority of his office. However, an elected official convicted of a felony would by law forfeit his position, Spencer said.
The Roanoke Times

Three members of the Bristol City Council needed just over two hours Tuesday to interview two finalists before selecting Becky Nave to fill the vacant council seat. Nave, 52, was chosen by a 3-0-1 vote following a 2-hour, 10-minute closed session, which excluded the public and news media. Councilman Kevin Wingard — who didn’t participate in the closed session interviews — abstained from voting but was among the first to congratulate Nave after the meeting was over. He objected to holding the interviews and any deliberation in closed session, saying the process should unfold in public.
Bristol Herald Courier

Portsmouth City Manager Angel Jones’ search for a new police chief is down to four finalists, she said in an email. She did not identify the candidates, but residents will will learn who they are before a public forum at I.C. Norcom High School at 6 p.m. July 29. From July 8-17, residents can submit questions electronically, by phone call and by mail. Jones said the city will distribute instructions ahead of the question period.
The Virginian-Pilot

A former coal mining executive from Bristol is resigning from the Virginia Redistricting Commission, leaving the bipartisan body temporarily down one Republican citizen and forcing the politically delicate body to fill a vacancy for the first time. Gilliam, who had called in to Tuesday’s meeting while most members met in Richmond in person, did not explain the reason for his abrupt resignation. As explained Tuesday, the other commissioners will select a replacement for Gilliam, who was nominated by Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, and appointed by a panel of retired judges who selected the commission’s citizen members from political leaders’ lists of candidates. Under a state law being used for the first time, the commission itself, not judges, will select a replacement from Norment’s 14 other original nominees. The law requires at least one of the commission’s eight Democratic members to vote in favor of the new Republican member.
Virginia Mercury

If more people want to speak at public meetings, that is a signal to set aside more time to hear from them — not less. Yet the Albemarle County School Board has set limits public comment rather than expanded it.  Look, we get it: Public boards and councils do need to keep their meetings on point and reserve sufficient time to deal with business — debating current affairs, promulgating policies, passing ordinances, and a hundred other duties necessary in governing. But hearing from the public should be one of those duties. Starting this week, the board will cap the number of speakers at its meeting to 40 people, who must sign up online in advance to be considered for the agenda. If more than 40 would-be speakers sign up, the board will use a lottery system to choose the 40 participants. As these things go, the system is relatively fair.  On the other hand, in one instance where public comment dominated, the meeting was only an hour and 40 minutes long; additional comment or board action could have been accommodated. The timing of the School Board’s restrictions indicates a similar fear. 
The Daily Progress

Has the issuance of Trespass Warnings become a new tool — unappreciated by the public — for expelling undesirables [from UVa grounds] and enforcing Leftist orthodoxy? I do not know the answer, but I want to find out. I have submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for copies of all Trespass Warnings issued by the University of Virginia police department since, and including, calendar year 2017. UVa estimates that it will charge me $880 to locate the records and redact them as necessary.  Depending upon my findings, I can either drop the query or proceed to the second phase, in which I will request copies of all appeals filed against the Trespass Warnings and the outcomes of those appeals.
Bacons Rebellion