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to a meeting necessarily involves a certain loss of control on the part of the public body.
On the other hand, the secrecy practised by public bodies when' they conduct their business in unauthorized executive session is the enemy of good government and is forbidden by the Act, as outlined above.
In a recent case, a Fairfax County judge ruled that all nine members of that county's Board of Supervisors violated the Virginia Freedom of Information Act when they met in closed session in Supervisor Audrey Moore’s office on December 11, 1981 to redraw the boundaries of their election districts. (Wash. Post, Mar. 20. 1982).
Since the Supervisors admitted the violation. Commonwealth Attorney Floran did not call witnesses or ask the judge to impose fines on them, as the law permits.
The judge did, however, issue an order barring the Board from ever again meeting behind closed doors without publicly voting to do so and prohibiting the supervisors from discussing anything in closed session not specifically permitted under the Act. Violations of the judge's order would constitute contempt of court and would be punishable by fines or jail terms, Horan said.
LEE BIRD Washington
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