Transparency News 1/21/16
State and Local Stories
A delegation of journalists who cover the state Capitol met with key state senators Wednesday to discuss the removal of reporters’ access to the Senate floor. There was no resolution of the issue at the meeting, which lasted about an hour, but the journalists and senators aired their concerns and expect further discussions. The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association “appreciates the opportunity to discuss the issue of media access with Senate leadership,” the group’s president, Richmond Times-Dispatch political reporter Jim Nolan, said in a statement on behalf of the organization. “It was a productive dialogue, and we are continuing our efforts to restore press access to the chamber floor, where reporters have kept Virginians informed of the workings of their government for more than a century.” Jeff Ryer, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, said in a brief telephone interview that “the discussions were cordial, informative and productive.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch
By going to work and speaking with some of his employees, Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot may be in violation of the terms governing his release from federal custody. Burfoot, the city’s former vice mayor, was arrested Jan. 8 on public corruption and perjury charges and released on a personal recognizance bond. He is required to “avoid all contact, directly or indirectly, with any person who is or may be” a victim, witness or co-conspirator in the case unless his lawyer is present. The problem? The indictment references employees of the Treasurer’s Office on at least two occasions and even alleges he spoke with one about the federal investigation and how to “falsely respond to certain inquiries.” Defense attorney Andrew Sacks has asked the court to modify the conditions of Burfoot’s release to indicate his client may have contact with possible witnesses who work for him as long as they don’t discuss the case. Specifically, he wants the condition modified to read Burfoot must “avoid all communication about this case” with the parties unless he is present.
Virginian-Pilot
Putting time limits on citizen comments at public hearings during Danville City Council meetings was discussed during council’s work session Tuesday night. Council recently instituted time limits — five minutes for individuals and 10 minutes to a person representing a group — for speakers addressing the city about issues that are not on the meeting agenda. The time limits discussed this week were for agenda items that include a public hearing. Ones that tend to bring both supporters and opponents to the council meetings often are related to zoning or special use permit requests that affect their neighborhoods. Council members discussed whether the new rule would allow them to ask questions of the speakers when their time was up, or whether there should be a method in place to extend the time — either at the mayor’s discretion or through a vote by council. “We’d be voting every five minutes,” Vice Mayor Gary Miller said, noting that step would add time to the proceedings rather than reduce time.
Register & Bee
Warren County School Board members listened to a presentation on an online document management service at its Wednesday meeting. Emerald Data Solutions representative Laura Vautour introduced the company’s VSBA BoardDocs Pro service by a presentation over the Internet and phone. The service comprises an online one-stop shop for any School Board agendas, minutes, videos, policies and other public documents. Vautour said that more than half of Virginia school systems use the service. Director of Finance Rob Ballentine mentioned that when attending the clerk’s conference, it seemed like “we’re the only School Board that doesn’t use it – everyone sitting at the table talks about how great it is.” In addition to the streamlined ease of access and transparency, Vautour said the metasearch option for school executives that reveals results from other school systems would provide a useful research tool.
Northern Virginia Daily
National Stories
In a hearing Wednesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher S. Sontchi said he should have granted Bloomberg’s request to be heard on an expedited basis in objecting to his investigation of Bloomberg reporters’ sources. Bloomberg objected to the scope of the investigation of a possible violation of a confidentiality order in a bankruptcy case after the judge required 123 individuals involved in the case to file declarations about contacts with any Bloomberg reporters about the debtor in the previous 60 days. Sontchi has now said he will hear Bloomberg’s objections to his initial order on Friday morning.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Anyone who has suffered through a conventional public hearing knows traditional attempts at civic engagement can miss the mark. When citizens feel they can’t express their views or they are not being heard, the credibility of the process falls into question, the viability of whatever is being considered (no matter how essential) is threatened and the whole community suffers. The City Accelerator is not about selling a particular concept or methodology. And it’s not about finding the ultimate answer – if there even is one. It is about acknowledging weaknesses in the way we develop and manage communities, finding better ways to operate, facilitating the necessary changes and then making things stick.
Governing
Editorials/Columns
Whether small-town reporters covering the workings — and, at times, machinations — of local governing bodies or political correspondents pretty much doing the same thing at loftier levels, the Fourth Estate tends to guard its prerogatives, and even its perceived perks, zealously. A bit of self-puffery can be evident at times, inspiring those the media chronicle to knock the pressies down a peg — that is, when they’re not trying to butter them up or slip something past them. That said, no justification can be posited — and no rationalization suffices — for what transpired last week in Richmond. Relations between the media and the heavily connected Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment have been frosty for some time. But a deep chill set in after revelations of the married majority leader’s affair with a state lobbyist nearly cost him his coveted leadership position. The scuttlebutt in Capitol Square is that this expulsion is payback. And the “scuttlebutters” may actually be right this time.
Daily News Record
We strongly support Sen. Tom Garrett’s efforts to overturn this ill-informed rule change. As he bluntly put it, this isn’t a partisan issuse, it’s not liberal vs. conservative or Democrat vs. Republican. It’s a matter of recognizing the fact that elected officials are servants of the people and answer to them. The News & Advance is strongly committed to covering the Assembly, basing a reporter in Richmond for the entire session. Our mission is to inform our readers and cover issues important to Central Virginia; ultimately our access is your access. Call your senators and stress that fact to each and every one of them. It’s time for Garrett’s colleagues to join with him and strike a blow for open government.
News & Advance
So now we learn some of the emails on Hillary Clinton’s homebrew server contained information at a level beyond top secret. And the Clinton team’s defense? This is just a right-wing plot. That is not a joke — not an intentional one, that is. Brian Fallon, the Clinton team’s press secretary, claims the intelligence services’ inspector general is just doing the dirty work for Republican hatchet men.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
