Transparency News 7/8/14
State and Local Stories
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Police Department isseeking public comment as part of an assessment for accreditation by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. A team from the association will examine all aspects of the department’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services as part of the voluntary process. University members, agency employees and the public may offer comments by calling (804) 828-6722 on July 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. The association’s assessment team will document comments.
Times-Dispatch
There may be a very good reason why a Fairfax County police officer shot and killed John Geer as he stood in his townhouse doorway on Aug. 29, 2013. Or there may be no reason. But after ten months, the authorities in Northern Virginia still have provided no explanation for why this unarmed citizen was gunned down by an unnamed officer, who remains on paid desk duty.
Washington Post
Former Gov. Bob McDonnell’s lawyers acknowledge that he was angry after his wife’s February 2013 interview with law enforcement officials. But they say he was irked not because of her statements, but because authorities interviewed first lady Maureen McDonnell under false pretenses. “The evidence will show that Mr. McDonnell was angry because he and his staff had been deceived about the purpose of the interview,” Jonathan A. Berry, a lawyer for Bob McDonnell, writes in a document filed Monday in U.S. District Court.
Times-Dispatch
Gov. Terry McAuliffe raised significantly less money from large donors than his predecessor in his first six months in office, according to fundraising figures released Monday. McAuliffe, who took office in January, raised $610,000 among donors giving $10,000 or more, according to figures compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in politics. By comparison, former Gov. Bob McDonnell raised $894,150 from big donors during his first six months in the Executive Mansion in 2010.
Roanoke Times
Illegal immigration is once again a hot topic in Prince William County. Board of supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart wants to force federal officials to say whether they’ve deported – or released -- an estimated 7,000 undocumented residents arrested by local police since 2008. Stewart, R-At Large, has asked the board to vote this month on sending a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to determine the whereabouts of people who have been arrested in the county and later turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Inside NOVA
Williamsburg City Manager Jack Tuttle loves data. The bookshelves of his office are full of data tables and government reports — including his 1978 public administration master’s thesis titled, “Productivity Measurement and the City of Pensacola” — with each item carefully organized and categorized. Tuttle said he believes understanding data can make government work better, and it is that belief that makes him excited for Williamsburg’s latest actions in performance management. For the last two months, Williamsburg has been one of 10 cities participating in the beta test of the International City/County Management Association’s latest performance management system. The computer program, called ICMA Insights and engineered by SAS Institute, allows municipalities to collect, visualize and analyze data on different government services, such as public satisfaction with libraries, or police, emergency and fire response times, in order to improve those functions.
WY Daily
National Stories
After more than four years of slow and steady growth, the economy has finally returned to peak job levels dating back to the start of the recession. Payroll employment reached a new high in May, and Labor Department estimates released last week indicate the country added another 288,000 positions in June. The public sector, however, continues to lag behind: State and local governments remain 425,000 jobs short of where they were when the recession began in late 2007. While private employers slowly expanded payrolls over the past few years, growth in the public sector didn’t pick up until much more recently. Local governments, which added an estimated 22,000 positions last month, only began recording consistent job gains about a year ago. For state governments, employment still hasn’t rebounded, remaining relatively flat since early 2012.Governing
Editorials/Columns
These Democrats are far from the first to drop their low-paying legislative posts for the lure of better pay and fatter pensions in an administration job. Governors of both parties have tapped sitting legislators for jobs in their administrations. But that doesn’t make it okay. These are all legislators with distinguished careers. Marsh was a respected civil rights attorney in his day. All four men might do excellent jobs in state government. But that doesn’t mean their service as legislators should open that door for them. When people run for elected office, they claim they want to work for the people. Not themselves. Yet quitting an office to take a government job benefits only the legislator. It shouldn’t even be an option.Free Lance-Star
This political revolving door — from legislator to bureaucrat (or vice versa) — is fraught with danger.There exists a temptation to exploit contacts gained on either side of the door for backroom deals: a former lawmaker going to cronies in the legislature, for instance, to curry support for a favorite program. Even when this temptation to wrongly use power is resisted, the mere opportunity sometimes by itself can raise suspicions, which in turn can damage the credibility and effectiveness of the men and women who possess such power. There is also the issue of plain, old-fashioned political patronage. When a governor appoints you to a high-paying job, you are expected to pay with loyalty. This is a bipartisan failing; both parties practice patronage. But loyalty can conflict with a conscientious desire to make unbiased decisions for the larger good of the commonwealth.
Daily Progress
Don’t you see what they’re doing? The shopping binges, the bizarro legislation and now the alleged sex and sexting with a teen? It makes perfect sense when you contemplate what must be the real reason Virginia legislators are acting like wackos. They’re trying to help the commonwealth by making it home to a top-rated reality show.
Petula Dvorak, Washington Post
Another act in the Eugene Delgaudio circus closed last week, with a not-so-surprising ending. The county supervisor has been cloaked in a cloud of suspicion for almost two years, facing accusations that he misused county government resources, mistreated his staff and skirted the law in his seemingly nonstop fundraising efforts. Despite that conclusion the whole affair was not in vain. Particularly, the work of the grand jury proved valuable. Effective Tuesday, a new state law will permit localities to enact an ordinance specifying that part-time employees found to misuse public funds can be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor. During its review, the grand jury was told that even if Mr. Delgaudio, a part-time county supervisor, had used his office resources for private purposes, the law permitted only full-time employees to pay a penalty for such action.
Leesburg Today
