One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While theVirginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in practice take the opposite stance, acting as if records are by default private and the public must prove they should be handled otherwise.
In this feature, we aim to highlight the frequency with which officials around Virginia are resisting public access to records on issues large and small — and note instances when the release of information under FOIA gave the public insight into how government bodies are operating.
Lynchburg prosecutor finds no criminal conduct by Franklin County officials
A special prosecutor has concluded that several Franklin County officials committed no criminal conduct or violations of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act following an investigation prompted by complaints from county residents, WDJB reported last week.
Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Bethany Harrison was appointed to investigate the allegations to avoid a conflict of interest. The complaints involved Board of Supervisors Chair Lorie Smith, Vice Chair Nick Mitchell and County Administrator Steven Sandy…