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Our View
Open
government
Elected and appointed government officials and
members of the press recently joined in a seminar
at Northern Virginia Community College, led by Maria Everett, the executive director of the Virginia Freedom of Information (FOI) Advisory Council.
The council offers public officials — and the public — quick, straight answers when viewpoints differ on how the state’s FOI Act functions. It does not make law, but it does issue advisory opinions on how the act should be applied.
Open government means that the public gets to see the process of decision making, not just the result. When a public body decides in private, then votes in public, it is not in compliance with the law.
The law is so strict that if three supervisors or town council members happen to find themselves shopping in the same grocery store — and start to discuss some proposal on which they will be voting — their discussion is illegal. They can be friendly, ask about the children or grandchildren, discuss a favorite recipe or the price of coffee, but if they lapse into comment about public business, they violate state law. • Officials may talk about public business one-on-one
unless the two would constitute a majority. *■ This may sound unreasonable, since men and women in private business can discuss whatever they wish, whenever and wherever they meet.
But private business and public business are different, largely because all public business is funded by public money collected from taxpayers. The law guarantees the public’s right to see its government in operation, as decisions are made.
We believe those who serve us in town and county government administration and our elected officials understand the law and are conscientious about abiding by the rule and spirit of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and that’s the way we want it to remain.
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