Tag: transparency
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Shot down: Commissioners tangle over transparency resolution
Tensions ran high at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ April 7 meeting, as board members butted heads over a proposed policy change concerning closed sessions.
Local initiatives provide access to public records in WNC
Local organizations, municipal bodies and citizens groups across Western North Carolina have partnered to empower community members to play a direct hand in the management and accessibility of public records, and help create a virtual landscape where responsibility for the dissemination of these records is shared by everyone.
Buncombe District Attorney’s race heats up
The race for Buncombe County District Attorney is heating up, with incumbent Ron Moore touting his accomplishments to a local business group (and taking to Twitter), while challenger Todd Williams accumulating endorsements from some local politicians and judges. Photo by Alicia Funderburk
City investigation mostly clears Asheville police chief, promises changes
At a special meeting today, Asheville City Council announced that an internal investigation had found no evidence that Asheville Police Department Chief William Anderson engaged in a coverup surrounding a March car crash involving his son, as alleged by an APD lieutenant. However, the inquiry also found that when Anderson ordered the officer to meet with him, he acted inappropriately. Council members promised improvements to the general management of the department.
Asheville starts open-data nominations
Does the city of Asheville have some information you’d like to see made available to the public? Let them know, as they’re now taking nominations on the city’s open-data catalog.
More information emerges about APD evidence room situation
More information has emerged about the oversight of the APD evidence room and what might be required to solve its current disarray. Also: Mayor Terry Bellamy has not replied to questions about when she became aware of a contract clause mandating that the city receive a redacted copy of the evidence room audit.
Is Asheville’s government transparent?
Readers, we’d like to know your experience with local government transparency, especially with regards to open records.
URTV attorney explains call for special meeting to remove board member
A petition presented by URTV producer Dale Joyner calling for the removal of outspoken board member Davyne Dial at the last meeting of the public-access channel’s board of directors constituted a call for a special meeting of the channel’s membership, URTV attorney Scott Dillin asserted in an e-mail today.
URTV to hold special meeting on board member’s dismissal
URTV will hold a special meeting of the public access channel’s membership on April 29 to vote on the dismissal of Davyne Dial, a member of the station’s Board of Directors who has been outspoken in her criticism of management.
URTV board meets, addresses controversies, station operations
Outspoken URTV board members Davyne Dial and Richard Bernier kept their seats — for now — despite a recommendation from the public-access channel’s executive committee that they be dismissed. The board also voted to increase the number of annual meetings and scrap a controversial oath.
Help Xpress report on the URTV board meeting
Thursday’s meeting of the URTV board will deal with a number of controversial issues, and Xpress is inviting attendees to assist our reporting on the events by joining in on the MXNow Twitter feed.
Into the vault
For journalists, keeping government operations open to scrutiny—and keeping public records public—is a year-round endeavor. But once a year, during Sunshine Week (March 15 to 21), Mountain Xpress joins thousands of publications across the country in making a special push to promote official transparency. A year ago, we marked this nationwide celebration of freedom of […]
Whose TV?
There’s trouble at URTV. Who—and what—is responsible for that trouble? The answers depend on who you ask. Before the crowd: URTV Executive Director Pat Garlinghouse addressing a 2007 meeting of URTV producers. Photo by Jonathan Welch Launched in 2005, Asheville’s public-access channel is “a televised forum for legal, noncommercial speech; a place where you can […]
County says it can’t contact URTV executive director, may delay funds
URTV Executive Director Pat Garlinghouse has not answered calls from county staff trying to contact her about ongoing transparency controversies at the public-access channel, and Buncombe County may delay funding for the station, County Manager Wanda Greene said at the Board of Commissioners meeting tonight.
URTV executive committee votes to remove two board members
In a closed session on Monday, Feb. 9, URTV’s executive committee voted to remove board of directors members Richard Bernier and Davyne Dial, who have criticized what they see as a lack of transparency at the public access channel.
Controversies continue over URTV transparency
While a recent release asserted that URTV follows open-meetings law, a video has surfaced with statements made by Executive Director Pat Garlinghouse at the public-access channel’s last board meeting that misrepresent that law, according a North Carolina Press Association attorney — and some board members say they were not consulted in a press release that claimed to speak on their behalf.
URTV will change oath
A controversial oath administered to URTV board members at their last meeting will be “clarified” to address concerns about a confidentiality clause, a press release from the public access channel announced Wednesday.
URTV oath sparks criticism
A confidentiality clause in an oath administered to members of public-access channel URTV‘s board at their last meeting has sparked criticism — and Buncombe County’s attorney’s office is looking into whether the vow is in line with the state’s open-meetings law.
Buncombe Commissioners
Site problems could add $1 million to cost of new animal shelter Fewer unwanted animals killed Controversy over the Buncombe County commissioners’ approach to Planning Board appointments continued at the commissioners’ Sept. 2 meeting. Critics questioned both the makeup of the powerful board and the lack of transparency in how the appointments are being handled. […]