Transparency News 9/15/15
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
State and Local Stories
Del. C. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, and another Republican legislator want Gov. Terry McAuliffe to make public a report of a violent encounter earlier this year between a University of Virginia student and state alcohol control agents. The contents of the report have remained secret since its completion. The Washington Post reported earlier that Brian Moran, McAuliffe’s secretary of public safety and homeland security, cited lawyers’ recommendation as his reason for not releasing the report. Specifically, Moran said the report contained personnel information that could be involved in a future lawsuit. Gilbert said Moran’s reasoning would allow government officials to withhold any document from public view if it so much as mentioned the name of an official. “That’s a ridiculous reading of the Freedom of the Information Act and its intentions,” Gilbert said.
Northern Virginia Daily
Members of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to gather in closed special session Thursday to discuss whether private discussions among board members were leaked to the public — by none other than the county administrator Jim Halasz. Although supervisors declined to specify a reason for the called session, beyond stipulating that it is to deal with a personnel matter, members confirmed they have heard from at least one county citizen who claims knowledge of board members’ closed-door deliberations from a session last week. The citizen, retired county teacher Ross Davis, said the information came to her after it was first disseminated by Halasz following Tuesday night’s meeting of the supervisors. A portion of that Tuesday session was conducted behind closed doors to take up a personnel matter, in keeping with state law governing the confidentiality of employee-related discussions.
News & Record
Without comment, Richmond City Council on Monday night approved a plan to spend $5,000 on a study of whether members’ pay is sufficient. The proposal from Council President Michelle R. Mosby, 9th District, states that it is “in the best interests of the citizens of the City of Richmond” to determine whether the $25,000 members receive annually is enough, “in light of the amount of time they spend attending meetings and otherwise representing their constituents.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Residents gave Portsmouth City Council members an earful Monday evening at an I.C. Norcom High School community meeting about their distaste for government secrecy. Council members who are normally quiet fought back. In recent months, the council has discussed pursuing a court order to remove the Confederate monument from a downtown street and reducing public speaking time from five minutes to three. Both discussions came in closed meetings, The Virginian-Pilot has reported. In an open meeting, the council voted to amend its rules to fine at least $1,500 and censure members who speak publicly about closed meetings. "Aside from (personnel issues and certain litigation matters) you owe the people of this city an explanation as to what you are doing and why you are doing it," said speaker Julie Boone. About 150 people attended the community meeting; about 25 spoke, many of them critical of the council. Some council members fired back. Councilman Curtis Edmonds told the audience that closed session meetings were needed to "get our minds together so that we will all be heading in the same direction." Speaker Jay Moore said there was no exemption in the law for "getting our heads together."
Virginian-Pilot
To encourage communication, Henry County Public Schools has a new feature on its district and school websites, a forum called Let’s Talk! In addition, the school division has added a feature on school websites that translates website content into more than 10 non-English languagesthat are spoken in homes of English-language-learner students in the school division, said Monica Hatchett, the school division’s coordinator of family and community engagement.
Martinsville Bulletin
Karen Vacchio has been named the Frederick County government’s first public information officer. She previously worked for 19 years in the county’s Parks and Recreation Department. Vacchio started her new job Aug. 3. The decision to create the PIO position is part of an effort to better connect the county with its citizens and to make the flow of information easier. “We are starting from scratch,” Vacchio, 54, said. “I’m meeting with department heads to find out what their needs are and how I can better help them get the information out to the public.”
Winchester Star
National Stories
The Obama administration announced Monday it will invest more than $160 million in a new "Smart Cities" Initiative to build apps aimed at helping improve the quality of life in local communities. Among the initiative's goals are helping local communities tackle key challenge such as reducing traffic congestion, fighting crime, fostering economic growth, managing the effects of a changing climate, and improving the delivery of city services. As part of the initiative, the National Science Foundation will make more than $35 million in new grants and the National Institute of Standards and Technology will invest more than $10 million to help build a research infrastructure to develop applications and technology that "smart cities" can use.
CNET News
Other
Off topic, for sure, but interesting (especially the Photoshopped picture of the SCOTUS in disco robes):
The Florida Supreme Court says the issue comes down to public trust and confidence. And from now on, that means judges can only don solid black robes when they head into court. Despite arguments that it doesn't need to act as the fashion police, the Supreme Court on Thursday approved a rule that will prevent judges throughout the state from wearing colorful robes or other adornments while presiding over cases. Justices said in an eight-page decision that judges "wearing different colored robes or robes with varying embellishments" could lead to uncertainty for people going before courts.
Orlando Weekly
