VDT Open Government Symposium: in Macon?

Yay open government symposium!
But why in Macon, why not in Valdosta,


if it’s organized by the new VDT editor?
Sure, Macon is the geographic center of the state, but it’s only
about an hour from Atlanta, and one thing most people in Atlanta don’t
understand is how big Georgia is, so asking them to drive four hours
to Valdosta would be educational for them.
And if the VDT is so interested in government transparency,
why doesn’t it investigate the county’s lawsuit against local business Deep South Sanitation
at the expense of the local taxpayers that benefits nobody but
“exclusive franchise” ADS and its investors in New York City?
Why is the VDT’s front page story that gave a platform for
Spectra’s Andrea Grover no longer online, especially now that
the Sabal Trail deadline she announced has been busted?
Let’s see the VDT lead the way.
Here’s a first test:
Gretchen is going to Macon with the LAKE video camera.
Will the VDT let her video?

Unsigned article, VDT, 11 October 2014,

VDT leading way in open government,

The state’s first Open Government Symposium will be held in Macon
Friday.

The free event kicks off a series of symposiums to be held around
the state of Georgia in an effort to incubate a culture of
government transparency, according to organizers.



Valdosta Daily Times Editor Jim Zachary, who is director of the

Transparency Project of Georgia, and colleague Holly Manheimer, who
is the director of the

Georgia First Amendment Foundation, have
organized the symposium and will provide the training while sharing
their experiences in open government advocacy.

Valdosta State University Professor Dr. Patricia Miller, journalism
advisor, will join Zachary and Manheimer, along with investigative
reporter Oby Brown, of the Telegraph in Macon, for an open forum and
roundtable discussion at the symposium.

The event, being held at the Center for Collaborative Journalism at
Mercer University, is free and open to the public.

Organizers are encouraging elected officials, government attorneys,
records custodians, journalists, community activists, students and
anyone who has an interest in transparency and more accountable
government to attend.

Good luck to them on that last.

A couple of quotes from the new VDT editor:

“We are creating a culture at the Valdosta Daily Times where
we simply have the expectation that government is always open and
transparent and each of our reporters will be well-versed in the
state’s Open Meeting Act and Open Records Act,” the editor
said.

OK, good. So:

  1. Where’s that former front-page pipeline article?
  2. Why did the VDT refuse to do a similar story
    on pipeline opponents
    after spending all that space on the pipeline company?

Back to the recent VDT story:

“Discussions will go beyond mere compliance with the letter of
the law. These presentations will focus on both what the law
requires and the intent of the legal requirements,” Zachary
said. “When you think about it, nearly all issues that
taxpayers, voters, ordinary citizens have with their government end
up being about government transparency. While a lot of public
servants talk about open government and being accessible, it is
important they take the opportunity to step back and look at these
issues through the eyes of the people they are elected to represent.
We believe the symposium will give them the opportunity to do
exactly that.”

Sounds great!
How about asking the Lowndes County government why they stick
to only the letter of the open records law when they return board packets

only on paper in black and white when we know they have
them in electronic format?
How about asking the county why they don’t put the board packets
online so citizens can know whether to show up for an item,
and can see what their elected officials are talking
about in their meetings?
How about asking the same question about the Valdosta City Council,
Hahira, Lake Park, Remerton, and Dasher,
and all the local boards and authorities?
How about ask why the county

doesn’t even publish agendas for the Planning Commission?

Once upon a time, the VDT used to ask some such questions,
at least when the VDT itself directly had difficulty getting
information from local government bodies, such as

Why have both those just-referenced VDT stories changed their locations
on the VDT’s website so you have to search again to find them?

Why has the Matthew Woody front page VDT story of 27 July 2014,
Sabal Trail explains its position, disappeared entirely from the VDT’s website?
That’s the one in which Andrea Grover said Sabal Trail would formally file at the end of October for a FERC permit.
Which is very relevant now that
opposition has busted that deadline and
Ms. Grover told an Alabama paper “sometime later this year”.

I’m all for transparency and for the VDT helping make it happen.
I don’t know how many times

I’ve quoted the

VDT editorial of 3 August 2011
(which has also changed links):

To The Times and its editorial board, it’s far worse for the
community’s image to have public officials knowingly lie, illegally
withhold public documents and try to bully those who are only after
the truth.

When officials act like they are hiding something, they usually are.
You can’t be accused of lying if you don’t lie. You won’t receive an
open-records request if you answer questions honestly and in
accordance with the law.

But all those examples were before somebody unnamed wrote for the VDT
29 July 2014,

Zachary named The Valdosta Daily Times’ editor,

The creator and director of the Transparency Project of Georgia,
Zachary recently joined forces with the Georgia First Amendment
Foundation, advocating for greater government transparency across
the state while providing educational materials and seminars for
citizens, journalists, action committees and elected officials.

“Our core belief is that government belongs to the governed
and not to the governing and we believe all the people’s business
should be conducted out in the open and not concealed behind closed
doors or hidden in secret documents,” Zachary said. “In
addition to our role as the Fourth Estate, a community newspaper
must celebrate its community in very vibrant and positive ways,
showcasing the quality of life while making sure readers have all
the information they want and need to know.”

He added, “I look forward to being out in the community,
visiting and speaking to civic organizations, making connections
with city and county leaders and — most importantly —
just getting to know the wonderful men, women and young people that
call Valdosta and Lowndes County home.”

Well, that all sounds good.
Although hobnobbing with just the usual suspects sounds more like
a way to get absorbed into the old boy system than to bring it
more transparency.
In any case, let’s see some action.

Since Zachary was hired, we’ve seen one previous editorial “updated”,
a front page story vanish, and URLs for a bunch of others change.
And we’ve seen these new editorials:

Fine thoughts!
Let’s see the VDT do something about them.

-jsq