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Our View
Discouraging vote
s politicians are well aware, as far as their voting
record is concerned, perception is reality. Over A. Athe past several years, the General Assembly has taken encouraging steps to strengthen Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act, mainly through studying and carefully evaluating the exemptions to that law.
This has proven to be the only effective antidote for the cynicism and suspicion that is bred by the closed meetings and secret votes of the past. And as goes the General Assembly, so go county, city and town-elected bodies.
That being said, we were surprised that House Bill 1357 passed the House of Delegates last week, by a margin of 52 to 48, and that’s no mandate. At its worst, HB 1357 could be used to close any meeting of the General Assembly, by order of the Joint Rules Committee.
This bill now goes to the Senate. Given the fact that the vote was so close, it is hoped that a large majority of the senators will reject it. Failing that, Governor Mark Warner should veto the bill.
We are pleased that most of our representatives in Richmond, including Rappahannock’s delegate Allen
95.8%