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• June 4, _1:98.2." -- _ -
TO. - .-Honorable
-Honorabl a Mayon' - �l
• Members
of Council '
- 'City Manager- ' " ' -
• Members of _the- Press . • _ -
- --FROM} ,E I Buchanan-, III - -
•
• RE : FOI:- Closed Sessi-ons ,- .and the ,„work product of .such:
To continue our dial ogue on :this subject th'e. attached - -
- : . -- .memo _is.'offered. .- I have attempted to; incorporate .the:. _
several points madein 'oar- last. discussion ” of this-
.matter.
". As. tfiis'memo`. Y . ; - :� _�
Suggests', . this .i_ssue is fundamental -to the ,
effective "dischargez.of the duties' of the Council - 'Your
,,' - continued' attention, and forbearance is requested - -
. F
y
•
•
• Z:. On.;-McC-arthyism:.and the -Whole -:T:rUth°:'
Students . of-. H� story" wi 11. recall . that .bleak- era i n -our Co:unt,ry '
:past, when a' benign P^resident,; Ike ;; refused, to ;,contest .`i:rr.e-
spons�blre ,,. malicious 'and :false assertions •:made by a= politician
•
named Jose;McCarthy„ . .Mc.Carthy •:was seeking -re. election ;to the.
' -U: S ; Senate-=and to= generate'publ ictyused, s`ou.rces `h'e would -
''not di scl:ose - EVEN -UNDER OATH oto brand= man- innocent :and
respdnsibletcati:zens as communis:ts: orv
- fellow traelers.J �J
Sena:tor- -McCarthy , - :in 'pursui_t `of h-i"s own
dico si personal ;politi:cal; ends ,-
d` _ n -'de e rabl- -.:harm-`to the `lives.•a"nd • e u-ta<tions:.:of: hundreds
of 'per-sops.- ?'r- p.
:Another fellow named ,Joe =- Joe Welch find ly pointed },o.ut ,
•:s�o all could •clearly `see ., the 'terrible price of McCarthy' s k
ambitio.n.. •Welch; asked McCarthy to discl_ose ::the ;names of the
persons making charges. aga •
inst others McCarthy refused to
do• ' so -even thouhg -though -Was -under `oath to;::tell , the' "truth ,_''the'
whole truth , -and nothing.: but the= truth'" Welc;h'" phrased', the {
issue :thusly; ".So you wia.l put your own .- interpretation on =
.your=.oa•th , r and tell :us l ess than- ,the whol e,`truth?" McCarthy
responded "You _will ,not' get-, the :-S.names of.`any'`informants who-,-
•
' ti.• eely_`on me to protect ' them. "
I. sincerely -hope .tthat':the-pres`s •:will .consider- •-the" exchange
• . •between the_ :two Joes_; duty-as :duto determine 'the-- whole
truth •is de-fined
2 Wel=come:•to Tom
But 'today is;a happy ;day. as we''welcome our."new bother , ;Tom
Tom comes'• to';us: from --the:'creeks_ and:-green ..hill`s of,._Austtin;
and ,brings; ta:lent , training .;and-_ experience. lig, must do`.-our
-..best; as a ;Co:unc l ," to ;suppo'rt , encourage, nurture and/ susta/in
h.im -
perhaps mcfre convincingly than we sustain'ed -Mr /Hanbury
3. On Keepiing "Council Informed, or,--Rusty; Piped
Many of us faulted Mr: Hanbu:ry • for not keeping_ this Councils
fully informed -Some- of us even 'voted .to ,fdischarge Mr_. _
Hanbury- on that ground ., Thanks- to Mr..-Hartig ; '-it::is' now s `
= clear that due; to- "many leaks"= Mr. Hanbury had sub'stant=ial'
reason n'ot to keep Council' informed This reason was hi-s �
sure_ land 'certain .knowledge that. sensitive'-and delicate �{
1 rovi'ded. to �,t
"• • - .:matters not-yet: thoroughly processed-wou d be.
t
the press' by- .Council. Members . -:: To quote the "Pilot", Hanbury . �
del iberately-':kept`.the Lynnhaven Mall _project away Afrom Council
Members ,.:'so—Council Members would , be; unable to 'sink the 1`'�a •
_f i n:anc i a -..hap of the:: City by an ;inadvertent to'rpe_doi fired .;'
with `the help of the press' How . sad- that Mr Hanbury was
taught :by Co:uncrl. to play t •close' to ' the• 'vest, and; that he
wars eventually discharged .for acting in a--.man`ner `-taug:ht him '
by "b.itte'r_experience'.
;. I mention: that :u'n:happy dent because ite;:i;11`ustr.ates that
bothour pipes : and `our practical day-to-day ,political
:philosophy, must hold water
•
4 • The 'Purchase
This.`.C.ouncil °.and:;the p:rofess�_onal 3staff: ;together stand :fon
_ the_ .evb.-of, the largest financial comm tment.�this 'City ma=y
ever :make; Yvthe : pur.chase of•' a- `wate-r ._system:.''" .The_ negotiations
.therefore will, require our best 1-eader.ship ,°."both from .the
elected a`nd •-appointed= off•icial.s Because the price its
': high we sim=ply cannot af_for.d ' to "scr. ew" -this 'one ..up :A , ..
-level o.f -disc:ipl ine , determination ._cohesion and mutual trust . _
that, has been-- demo`nstrated` less frequently ' than I would hope
will` be' requi_red: . -Otherwise , ,the"'enti_re pr,oject w:i;l-1 be- an:<_-
absolute mess_. Millions- will r-be. made by persons speculating_
onFpipeline right:-of- :way Other..horr-,ibles would_ be paraded ,'
- • but I-. Will not •bore_you _ -
: 5.: : Su'pportng.-our,:Manage:r: and -Staff
My point i s imply that "we brought Tom his fami 1y here
We'--are .Paying, hima handsome ,salary. Please , 1'et! st get_:our
money ' s -worth :and not undercut Tom :by '"our iVndiv.idua:l. actions.. r.
Tom:.wi l l_':-desperately need our -support. 'duri n"g th'e next years -
pJea'se:treat--your. relationship with him an:d w�:th :one, another
as professionally a:"s po.ssi.ble: .
:The :new .Council w'i11 have`-to .address the overall p"a; eters
: . of it-sr.elationships'wi'th Staff.- ad:
:n •one,fanother: ram •
.I _ proffer -for‘-'your continuingreview the foa l ow'i n thou hts
on,-the .subrj'ect 'of: the. F,OI , an-d.: the -premature
privileged information
•. 6 Some .Bas -
1 This: Coun ry `"i s foun.ded on the :pri nci p1_e that the a'aw, •
i not individual whim, rules:.
Country 'i s founded on- the. princ i pl a that c'i t� zen
knowledge o:f and partici`pa=tion ' in=.gover•nment is- t:he : -
best anti dote to.-•tyra-nny The: affairs-- of . government
: _are .not to- be• conducted fm an¢-•atmosphere of secrecy,`
';: {Va :FOI Section' 2 1-340.:;1 :
>4.
..a y, s � r.
•
=3 This. Couri'tr is founded_ on° the Yprinciple 'that publ;ic i-.
official s. are. trustees of public :a•ssets , i,nclu,
public -property. PubTi-c assets may:only- be -used o
promote: .the .general .,Wel fare and -not to s.e.rve any ;ipr:i yaite _
purpose. :
U r er of t,h.e City autthorizes 'j•no member to'` acton
r i �' 1
h
x'
be a.1
h
therefore � to. -
-f. of:. t e��.C��ty without autor.i
. .include the giving:'away , .sale or: .unauthor zed-.use of
City =p:ro`perty:.
Virgin�a`law `specifitica;lly authorizes citizen ac,cess;_:to
• records in the custody of;=publ-ic o'ffic'ials , and' free
:entry to° meet-in,gs of public bodies: where he business
of• the p:eopl e . i s '-being co.nducted , affording every
=opportunity for c ti.z-ensfness the: ope:rati'ons of'
• ;government Concurrently ,'-Virgin 'a law= author.i;zes
publ. ;c bodies tohold 'exec;uitive or :clos:ed meetings ::`
from which the pubo ic. i s ,excluded ;` Executive ar :closed
sessions _may be he;ld .only for the :-.purpose -'author"i•zed :in
"'' 2 1-`344 ':- To' hold an, "execuitive .session at .i_eastt a ...° ••
majority _of mbe:rs must =so vote n o_pen 'sess'ion , on a `
F _ motion- which :states with'parti;cularity;:the :"s.tatu'to:ry =
• gr-ounds:==.ther'efore Duringe the` executi've session, 4only ^�:
'those particular matters may b:e discussed • °'•Should a •
• matter not--so authori:zed _b e br.ought, up ;= the =matter shout d
be• ,r.:uled out -of order: Otherwise , all :_who participate :in
the.:di.scussi=on may. be subjected t-o`=enf.orcement'_proceedings
brought' by- any citizen under Section 2: 1 346 I'n addition , - * '
a_ wil1fu:l;= and` knowing ;_vio°lati;on' is'pun,i=shab_1-e':,by. a1;-
individual fine of: not ess than $25 00•. nor more-- tha:n -
$500 .J
•
7 ;FOI Violations and Remedies Therefore
1It s important to note t-Sa:t here =i s currently;;on fthe }books an
adm'i.nistrat1:ve and crimi.nal :.penalty for_ not •obeying',.the" F-O-I It '
is a=lso important to :note= that.;,the :.general law.::auth,orizes• - : i,J
criminal : pro'secution of public offi;cials wh:o use .publ rc resources
ppropr-iately
Thus ;==-there'.appears to, be currently a state law' criminal ,
• remedy for
a
ro
_V iolations of: the::.FOIS whi°ch in•vol ve_ per
exclusion of the -•publ:ic or :improper discussion
'of an. -executive`:session
; b ;V;�olationof: general state • law regarding: ,-
i nappropr:_ia;te�u:s;e,.of.‘ •• ,s resources
rFor ',these: reasons,s there seems to 'be no reason` to further;
'consi'der the -:establishment of ,cri:mi.nal liability whether •
by -„Way ,of ,City=;Code Amendment-;_ or,, otherwi"se ` for; prema-ture`
disclosure :We curre.ntly.:have; the authority to invoke
criminal • sanct.l_ons if, rwe, w.ish to .:use it; -.or those• who, fear' '
the;-creation`;of :a
• policestate _.through any criminal a�cta,on:
on this ,subject , please note 'that .the criminal law .sanctions;
_are a'l
ready ki-.n pl'.aceS