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“The beautiful thing is that we can discuss things and no matter what happens (in closed session), we all seem to agree.”
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For the first time in at least 20 years – possibly ever – the Dumfries Town Council voted Sept. 4 in closed session to remove Vice Mayor Brian Fields from that office. Fields, a former Dumfries police officer, has been on the council for two years. He had served as vice mayor for only two months, having been elected by his fellow councilmembers to the post after the new council was sworn in following the May 1 town election. Councilwoman Monae Nickerson was selected to replace Fields. She is likely the first black woman to hold that office in Dumfries. After returning to open session, the council did not state the reason Fields was replaced. Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood said he could not comment on matters discussed in closed session but he noted it was a unanimous decision. “The beautiful thing is that we can discuss things and no matter what happens (in closed session), we all seem to agree,” Wood said. “That shows the difference in this council from what people have seen in the past in Dumfries. We are creating a shared vision with this council.”
Prince William Times
After the court-ordered removal of Shaun Brown's name from the Nov. 6 congressional ballot for fraudulent signatures and phony addresses, can the petitions of other 2018 federal candidates be rechecked for accuracy? Depends on who you're asking about. For example, in the 2nd Congressional District election, it's too late to check Rep. Scott Taylor's original petitions. Republican officials have already shredded them. The petitions of his Democratic rival, Elaine Luria, are still in the possession of a party leader who likely will keep them for a couple of years. But Luria's petitions are private Democratic Party documents and not subject to state open records law. They can only be seen if party leaders agree to share them. Meanwhile, petitions filed by independents like Brown and third-party candidates like Matt Waters, a Libertarian running for U.S. Senate, are publicly available documents that eventually will be permanently stored in the Library of Virginia.
Daily Press
An effort by VDOT representatives to brief the Leesburg Town Council on a new design concept for the Rt. 7/Battlefield Parkway Interchange was rejected Tuesday night. Council members refused to go into closed session to hear a presentation about an alternative design proposed by one of three contractor teams bidding on the $58 million project. The VDOT review team was seeking feedback about whether the council objected to the alternative before the contracting team spent money pursuing the concept in greater detail. VDOT Program Manager Tina Briganti-Dunn told the council that the state’s design-build program allows contractors to propose alternative approaches to the project. In this case, the plans involve information deemed proprietary that could not be discussed in open session. After a months-long public process to build agreement on the project, council members raised concerns about potentially approving or endorsing changes to the interchange design behind closed doors and then not being able to discuss or present the changes with constituents.
Loudoun Now
The newly elected Norfolk School Board has reversed course on a previous board’s decision to sue the educational foundation whose former director now serves as the board’s vice chairman. The decision to drop the lawsuit – filed after unsuccessful requests by the previous board for an audit of the Norfolk Education Foundation’s finances following the discovery of outstanding bills – wasn’t unanimous and came only after multiple private, closed-session discussions for the past two months. An attorney for the foundation, Andy Protogyrou, had asked the new School Board to dismiss the case after they took office in July. Since the new members have been seated, there have been several hourslong closed-door conversations discussing how to proceed. From the public waiting room, raised voices have been heard and the clerk was instructed to turn on a classical music radio station to drown out the debate. During a Viola Concerto in D Major, members heard talking over one another were gaveled to silence.
The Virginian-Pilot
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