VCOG conference – overview

VCOG conference highlights Va. open government issues

 

More than 75 people attended VCOG’s annual conference, Oct. 21 and 22, in Richmond.

Attendees gathered for a cocktail reception Thursday the 21st at the Downtown Richmond Crowne Plaza. Dinner followed, where VCOG’s annual FOI award winners were recognized, including the Richmond Public School Board, Steven Vegh from The Virginian-Pilot, and Axton citizen Nancy Barbour Smith. Guests then engaged in a lively debate about the thorny issue of access to criminal investigative records.

The historic Virginia Capitol was the backdrop for the next day’s series of panels and speakers. The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Jeff Schapiro led a discussion about lobbying, where panelists agreed that the most effective lobbying relies heavily on relationships of trust.

At the access on campus panel, led by Dick Hammerstrom, panelists discussed the seizure of the JMU Breeze computers and public records requests after the Virginia Tech killings of April 2007 (see story below).

Former Bristol Herald Courier journalist Daniel Gilbert told the lunchtime audience how records he obtained via FOIA helped him write a story on natural gas royalties that eventually won him the Pulitzer Prize. Gilbert, who now covers the energy industry for the Wall Street Journal, also noted how the research process was helped by working with the government clerks to get the records, not treating them as adversaries.

Four government technology experts discussed a myriad of new initiatives to improve the delivery of service and information to the public (see story on page 5).

Speakers on the final panel listed their top tips and strategies for gaining access to public records.

The conference was made possible by nearly 25 corporate and individual sponsors.