Making a mockery of Sunshine Week

March 13, 2012

The Richmond Times-Dispatch comments on transparency in Virginia, "The news dismayed, but its timing proved pregnant with symbolism. On the eve of Sunshine Week, Virginians learned that a study of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County will not be as transparent as it should be. According to a news story by The Times-Dispatch's Rex Springston, the group of state officials involved 'will hold no public meetings and will keep many of its papers secret.' This is not good."

Progressive Point: Virginia lawmakers are making important decisions that impact localities, businesses, and individuals across the Commonwealth with no opportunity for public input. The lack of transparency concerning studying uranium mining not an isolated incident. From remaking our complicated retirement system to funding repairs to our transportation infrastructure to making decisions about mining and water quality in Southside, decisions are being made behind closed doors with no opportunity for public input or scrutiny.

Lawmakers were elected to represent us, and the thoughts and opinions of their constituents should be the most important factor in decision making. How can they make responsible decisions that reflect all of the available information when the most important part of the process has been shut down? Making decisions in the dark pushes the public out of our democratic process and makes a mockery of Sunshine Week.

Get the Facts:

• "Each year in the General Assembly, there's a tug-of-war over the state's 'sunshine laws.' The recent legislative session has been no exception. It wasn't the most eventful term in recent memory pertaining to open records and open meetings, but there were significant battles. Among them: Should warrants used to track vehicles by GPS technology become public like most any other warrants are -- or put in a special category and be sealed forever? Should public boards be able to hold more 'electronic meetings,' whereby members are not sitting in the same place? Should the names and addresses of those who hold state permits to carry concealed handguns be shielded from public view?" (Daily Press, March 11, 2012)



• "Virginians have a wealth of information about their government at their fingertips. Although state agencies supply some of that data, the most accessible and useful repositories are the brainchilds of energetic, public-minded individuals who saw a need for transparency and did something about it.

  David Poole launched the Virginia Public Access Project (vpap.org) in 1997, culling information gleaned from paper campaign reports to create an Internet database of donors, a much-needed tool for voters in a state that sets no limits on the contributions made by individuals and businesses to political candidates.

  Since then, the Richmond nonprofit has expanded to include candidate expenditures, lobbyist registrations, gifts made to elected officials and financial disclosures detailing lawmakers' stocks, corporate income and real estate holdings. More recently, the website has provided interactive maps showing the results of redistricting and elections, and it is gradually incorporating information on local elections.

  Waldo Jaquith of Charlottesville has contributed to the open government cause with Richmond Sunlight (richmondsunlight.com), a website that helps regular people understand the General Assembly's cumbersome procedures and track bills on topics important to them. He's also developing a similar Internet tool, state-decoded.com, to enable easier navigation through the Code of Virginia, the collection of all state laws." (Roanoke Times, March 13, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Making a mockery of Sunshine Week http://bit.ly/xtApVM via @ProgressVA