Transparency News 9/19/17

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Thank you to these conference sponsors:

• AARP of Virginia
• Eileen McAffee
• The Roanoke Times
• The Virginian-Pilot
• WTVR-TV6

State and Local Stories

Area residents expressed concerns Monday night to the Charlottesville City Council about the independent review of the city’s handling of the Unite the Right rally and other recent events. Local attorney Jeff Fogel spoke about an email he had received in response to a Freedom of Information Act request that was sent on Aug. 13 by Heaphy to Mayor Mike Signer and City Manager Maurice Jones. “Mr. Heaphy solicited this job,” Fogel said.
Daily Progress
 
James Ryan could receive more than a million dollars a year as the University of Virginia’s president. Ryan’s seven-year contract will make him one of the highest-compensated university presidents and state employees in Virginia when he takes over for Teresa Sullivan next summer. There is, however, little oversight of Ryan’s perks and outside activities provided in the contract’s terms.
Daily Progress

The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors might update the bylaws that govern their actions as elected officials – including removing the standards of conduct. Those standards of conduct, which were added to the bylaws in January 2013, are like the golden rule for governing, stating that as public officials, they should be independent, impartial and fair, and should conduct public business openly and in an atmosphere of respect and civility.
Register & Bee

Residents and would-be residents who have questions about cellphone and internet service in Clarke County now have a comprehensive source of up-to-date information: ClarkeConnect.org. The website is just one outcome from the county’s yearslong effort to connect more residents with telecommunications and broadband services. Earlier this year, the county revised its zoning ordinances in order to attract service providers.
Winchester Star



National Stories
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A Kansas Press Association leader and a media attorney are accusing Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach of flouting a year-old state open records law by using a private email account for his work as vice chairman of President Donald Trump's commission on election fraud. Max Kautsch, a Lawrence attorney who specializes in free speech and open government issues, said Kobach's contention that he is serving on the commission as a private citizen is "obviously totally insane," The Kansas City Star reported . And Doug Anstaett, the press association's executive director, said Kobach is "dead wrong." Kobach spokeswoman Samantha Poetter reiterated the position Monday that on the commission, Kobach is not conducting business for the state. Even when Kobach's state title is used in printed materials, it does not indicate he is conducting Kansas business, she said. The Star requested records related to the commission from Kobach's office in May, but his office denied that request a month later on the grounds that such records did not exist. In July, the AP also requested communications between Kobach and his staff and the commission, including emails and was told by an attorney "there are no records that are responsive to this request."
McClatchy

The Tennessee Valley Authority says its economic development work helped nearly 250 companies create or retain 72,000 jobs during the 2016 fiscal year. But the incentives it awarded those companies are secret. The federally owned corporation does not reveal the benefits it provides private investors as a matter of policy. "This is an exceptionally competitive activity,” said CEO Bill Johnson when asked about the practice after TVA’s May board meeting. “The general rule around the country for everybody in this space is that you never divulge this information. It would kill the golden goose immediately.”
Knoxville News Sentinel

Two clerks at the Supreme Court of New York are facing charges after officials say they charged people for access to free documents. The state Office of Court Administration says 34-year-old Triston Baptiste and 48-year-old David Washington have been charged with official misconduct after their arrest Thursday. According to a complaint, Washington told a city Law Department attorney he would have to pay $820 for photocopies. Law Department employees are exempt from copying fees.
McClatchy



Editorials/Columns


Lobbyists and legislators still interact on the social circuit, especially when the Assembly is in session; there’s simply no way to curtail that activity. Gone, however, are the days of lavish spreads of heavy hors d’ouevres and open bars. Golfing and pro-football junkets are also things of the past in the capital. While loopholes are still in the law, they’re much more difficult to slip through than in the past. When legislators were debating stricter ethics rules in the wake of the McDonnell scandal, we took a hardline approach: no gifts at all. We stand by that call today. We also believe the independent ethics council should be more than advisory in nature with investigatory, enforcement and punishment powers.
News & Advance