Category: Government Transparency
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Avoiding Transparency
by Jon Baliles Richmond Mayor Danny Avula ran on a platform to clean up City Hall and be a transparent mayor, but so far he has done little to differentiate his administration from that of his predecessor, who wrote the book on how to master obfuscation and ignoring the public’s right to know. Avula could…
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Meet the New DEI, Same as the Old DEI
GMU Board’s openness puts UVA’s to shame by James A. Bacon At a jam-packed meeting last week, the George Mason University Board of Visitors received a briefing from Sharnnia Artis, the university’s former vice president for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, on how the university is complying with a Trump administration mandate to dismantle DEI and…
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A Follow-up Rant on Opacity at UVA
by James A. Bacon So much to blog about today. Let’s start with transparency — which is so pathetic that we should start referring to opacity — at the University of Virginia. (For readers who are fatigued by my UVA reporting, get over it. The following observations are relevant to all of Virginia’s public universities.)…
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A Travesty of “Open Government”
by James A. Bacon The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors convened at noon in a specially scheduled meeting to discuss one of the most contentious and potentially momentous issues it has ever been called upon to address — the dismantling of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and racial preferences. The meeting will not be live-streamed.…
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Three Former Rectors Defend Former Hospital CEO
by James A. Bacon Three former rectors of the University of Virginia have written a letter defending Craig Kent, the UVA Health system CEO who resigned in February after an investigation into alleged abuses at the UVA Medical Center. “We have a strong impression that there may be just a very small handful of doctors…
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Redacted
by James A. Bacon After more than a year of delays, the University of Virginia has finally released two reports ordered by the Attorney General — one detailing the University Police Department (UPD) response to the Nov. 13, 2022, mass shooting at UVA, and one reviewing the failure of the University’s Threat Assessment Team (TAT),…
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A Victory for Transparency
Kudos to Danny Avula, City of Richmond mayor, for upholding government transparency in the release of documents sought by the Richmond Times-Dispatch that had been withheld on the grounds that they were executive “working papers.” The University of Virginia should pay heed. Just because you legally can refuse to turn over working papers doesn’t mean…
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Fog and Shadows
Decision-making at the University of Virginia is shrouded in secrecy — and leadership is just fine with that. by James A. Bacon Last week the University of Virginia Board of Visitors faced a history-making judgment: how to respond to Trump administration demands to dismantle its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs. Tensions during the meeting, held…
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Deliberations in Darkness
by James A. Bacon Last week the University of Virginia Board of Visitors met to discuss one of the most contentious public-policy issues roiling American politics today: the medical treatment of transgender youth. The meeting was closed to the public, and board members were enjoined not to reveal what was said. The justification for keeping…
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Is There a Doctor in the House?
by James C. Sherlock Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (Colonial Heights) is in the news again. New story, similar outcomes — a patient either dying or dreadfully injured — both ignored. The first time 18 staff members were arrested. This time it was a physician who allegedly wasn’t even there. That was the problem.…
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One Man’s Fight for Transparency
by Walter Smith The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (“Act” or “FOIA”) has wonderfully high aspirations, ensuring the people of the Commonwealth have “ready access to public records.” All public records are presumed open, unless an exemption is properly invoked. Any exemption shall be narrowly construed. All public bodies shall make reasonable efforts to reach…
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Will Sunlight Fall on Stoney’s Selfish Severances?
by Jon Baliles Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water in Richmond, another scandalous legacy of Levar Stoney has been tossed in Mayor Avula’s lap, and he is just barely two weeks into his term. The cesspool of corruption and inefficiency that has returned to City Hall in recent…
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Hodges Bill Would Require Universities to Archive Board Video
by James A. Bacon Delegate Keith Hodges, R-Urbanna, has submitted a bill that would promote transparency in higher-ed governance. HB2452 would require public four-year institutions to record, archive, and make Boards of Visitors meetings available to the public for five years. Boards already live-stream their open-session meetings, as required by state law. But no requirement…
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FOIA Fighter
by James A. Bacon It was a quiet Monday afternoon in the Henrico County General District Court, and Walter Smith thought he might have the University of Virginia on the ropes. Smith, an attorney and retired insurance industry executive, had spent much of the previous three years using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), trying…
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Atlantic Park Part 6: Vote for Change
by James C. Sherlock Updated Sept. 14 at 11:14 AM and September 18 at 4:40 PM If an infrastructure project is assessed to be a potential commercial success, that judgement is based on a business plan. Inevitably, because they are very good at what they do, the developers of Atlantic Park had one that would…