Transparency News, 9/8/25

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Special prosecutor to be requested in Martinsville city manager investigation

Pity Richmond Circuit Court Judge Claire G. Cardwell and the taxpayers of Richmond. Watching lawyers Jimmy Robinson of Ogletree Deakins and Sarah Robb of Sarah Robb Law spar in Cardwell’s courtroom on Aug. 25 made me wish I could nominate Cardwell for a local version of the Nobel Peace Prize. The case before Cardwell concerns whether Connie Clay, a former City of Richmond Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer, was fired in retaliation for raising legal concerns about how her bosses in City Hall were handling FOIA requests. The Connie Clay case provides an object lesson on the high price Richmond has paid, both literally and figuratively, for years. It also provides an opportunity for Richmond’s new mayor to set a new tone for city government, a tone that emphasizes transparency and a respect for a citizen’s right to know what city government is doing.
Style Weekly

“Democracies die behind closed doors.” ~ U.S. District Judge Damon Keith, 2002

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