Transparency News 9/25/19

Wednesday
September 25, 2019

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state & local news stories

"The lessons here are that there's a need for better financial accountability."

State police reported yesterday that 14 people have been indicted by the Warren County special grand jury in its investigation of potential criminal activity involving the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority. The 14 individuals, who include members of the county Board of Supervisors, the EDA board, the county administrator, the county schools superintendent and former EDA and county attorney, are charged with two counts of misfeasance and one count of nonfeasance "based on the individuals' knowledge of and inaction of the EDA's mismanagement of funds," a news release states. The special grand jury handed up 42 misdemeanor counts against them on Friday. Thirteen people went before a magistrate today and were released on a personal recognizance bond. The release states that Dan Whitten, former EDA and Warren County attorney, is expected to meet with the magistrate and state police on Wednesday.
The Northern Virginia Daily
The claims against them, industry groups say, reflect the perils of weak oversight in economic development agencies - quasi-public entities that oversee large, complicated transactions, and whose boards often lack the financial savvy and investor scrutiny that protect their corporate counterparts. In Montgomery County, Md., an economic development official pleaded guilty this year to embezzling $6.7 million. The head of economic development in St. Louis pleaded guilty to steering lucrative contracts to the county executive's political donors. In New Jersey, a grand jury is investigating how $500 million in tax incentives went to firms that, in part, allegedly lied on their applications. "The lessons here are that there's a need for better financial accountability," said Jeff Finkle, head of the nonprofit International Economic Development Council. "People beyond one person who is managing a project where the temptation may be too great."
The Washington Post

And after nearly four months of investigation, more than 750 interviews and thousands of hours of detective work, police still don’t know why. Tuesday’s update on the ongoing criminal investigation was the first time police revealed new information since June 3, when city leaders released the gunman’s resignation letter. The vacuum of information has left already-reeling families starved for closure, with several saying they can’t fully grieve without knowing what led up to the tragedy and how it all unfolded. The city invited families and employees to view the update privately. Even his interactions on the day of the shooting were fairly routine. That morning, he sent a resignation email that said he was leaving for personal reasons, but didn’t elaborate. The only hint of what was to come was discovered in his computer history. He did a Google search for maps of Building 2 and the Municipal Center, police said.
The Virginian-Pilot

stories of national interest

The U.S. Army is not publicly releasing its full investigation into a 2016 training session at a Texas military base that left nine people dead, arguing it has the right to protect privacy and not reveal its deliberations.  Eight soldiers and a West Point cadet died when their vehicle was swept into the rain-swollen Owl Creek on Fort Hood during a flash flood on June 2, 2016.  An internal investigation in the immediate wake of the deaths determined that decisions made by Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez — who was among the dead — led to the accident at the sprawling Army post about 64 miles (100 kilometers) north of Austin. 
Daily Press

Members of the public and the media are being charged hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars to access public records in Oregon. Advocates say high fees for records meant to be public can keep you in the dark. According to a 2018 survey of all state agencies, in addition to a select group of cities, counties, and school districts, more than $1.2 million was collected in fees that year. The city of Portland collected $767,659 in fees. Those numbers are incomplete and don't account for all public bodies in Oregon.
KATU
 

"According to a 2018 survey of all Oregon state agencies, in addition to a select group of cities, counties, and school districts, more than $1.2 million was collected in [public records] fees that year."

editorials & columns

"I was told that the actual receipts would result in a higher fee because they would have to be collected even though the city’s employee travel policy and its purchase card policy require turning them in."

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, like former Mayor Dwight Jones before him, is a member of an organization called the United States Conference of Mayors, sometimes referred to as USCM. This year’s summer conference was held in Honolulu from June 28 to July 1. In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the mayor’s office offered me the option of getting summary totals or the actual receipts. I was told that the actual receipts would result in a higher fee because they would have to be collected even though the city’s employee travel policy and its purchase card policy require turning them in. After that was worked out, the office ended up providing the receipts related to Stoney’s attendance at the Hawaii conference at a reasonable cost. The total for this specific trip comes to $4,974.95, far eclipsing the $2,333 total for which Jones was criticized. However, the true cost of the trip is even higher because Stoney did not attend the conference alone. But wait, there’s more.
Justin Griffin, Style Weekly