Blythewood Online 691

Tag: Bill Rogers

  • JWC Board breaks FOIA laws

    JENKINSVILLE – The Jenkinsville Water Company (JWC) board of directors spent more time behind closed doors Monday evening than in open session, but it’s what happened after executive session that ignited fireworks.

    At its monthly meeting Monday, the JWC board of directors voted to accept three items merely dubbed “Items A, B and C” as discussed in executive session.

    Board members refused to specify the nature of Items A, B and C, and scolded audience members who challenged the vote.

    The meeting adjourned immediately after the votes, and board members promptly exited the building.

    Bill Rogers, executive director of the S.C. Press Association, said conducting votes without specifying what they’re about is in violation of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.

    “How can they vote on something without saying what you’re voting on?” Rogers said Tuesday. “It’s an illegal vote. They’re really out of control. They’re flying in the face of logic and the law.”

    The Voice pressed board president Greg Ginyard as he and other board members were exiting Monday’s meeting. Ginyard said the votes involved, “items brought up that the members requested.”

    When The Voice asked if Ginyard could be more specific, he declined to answer and the interview ended. Exiting board members referred The Voice to the water company’s attorney for further remarks.

    Reggie Belcher, a Columbia attorney representing the water company in a pending FOIA lawsuit, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

    A telephone call had not been returned as of press time. An email auto reply stated Belcher would be out of the office until Monday, April 2.

    At Monday’s meeting, Ginyard scolded The Voice and Fairfield County businessman Donald Melton for openly challenging the secret vote.

    “You can’t blurt out in the middle of a meeting,” Ginyard said. “We’re past the public comment period so please don’t blurt out.”

    “We’re just asking for transparency,” Melton answered.

    Ginyard said public input is the proper time to address the board. Public input is scheduled before executive session, which prohibits the public from challenging the vote until the board’s next meeting on May 7.

    Melton sued the water company in 2016, citing multiple FOIA violations. The case is pending.

    According to the suit, the water company has claimed that it’s not a public body and not subject to FOIA. The S.C. Attorney General’s office said otherwise in a 2011 opinion.

    The eight-page opinion states the JWC formed in 1970 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided a loan as seed money.

    The JWC received $34,751 in government grants in 2007 and in 2011, the S.C. Budget and Control Board approved grants of $73,000 and $132,500 to the water company.

    It’s further stated in the attorney general opinion that Fairfield County also provided public funding for the JWC.

    “There is considerable evidence, based upon the information which you have provided, that the Jenkinsville Water Company has received and currently receives both federal and state grand funding,” the opinion states.

    The JWC’s retreat into executive session Monday also prompted a protest from The Voice.

    Ginyard initially stated the purpose of the executive session was for “contractual and personnel matters.”

    When pressed by The Voice for the specific purpose, a requirement under state law, Ginyard responded that the private meeting was to discuss a new well being installed and “employees.”

    State law requires public bodies to state the specific reason for entering executive session. Violating this statute has proved costly for other public bodies that have disregarded it.

    In 2016, an Aiken County judge ordered the City of North Augusta to pay $14,724 to a North Augusta resident who filed a lawsuit that said the city wasn’t specifically stating the reason for entering executive session.

    A year later, the city of Newberry was ordered to pay $13,708 for a similar violation in not stating a specific reason for executive session.

  • Voice publisher receives Jay Bender Award

    SPARTANBURG – The sixth annual Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism was presented to Barbara Ball, publisher of The Voice, at the South Carolina Press Association’s annual meeting in Spartanburg on March 17.

    Jay Bender, left, retired attorney for the South Carolina Press Association, and Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the SCPA, presented the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism to Barbara Ball, publisher of The Voice. | Sarah Hinckley

    The award recognizes one daily and one non-daily newspaper journalist in the state who stands up to authority in the public’s interest. As one of the top honors presented by the SCPA each year, it includes a prize of $250 and is named for the SCPA’s attorney of 30 years, Jay Bender, whose career has been dedicated to preserving open government and First Amendment freedoms.

    “Barbara exemplifies exactly what I had in mind when I established the award: a journalist reporting on public affairs, who will push back against the arrogance, cupidity and stupidity of  people in public office,” Bender said. “She is exactly the kind of person that reflects favorably upon journalism and its history. The person who goes out, sees something wrong and reports on it is vital to our democracy.”

    The judges’ comments, which were read during the presentation, made note of Ball’s persistence and dedication.

    “Barbara Ball blew us away with her relentless and aggressive reporting,” the judges wrote, in comments that went on to summarize the range of her work over the previous year.

    “With limited newsroom resources, [she] pushed to get and publish the video of an assault against a detainee at the county detention center. She was persistent in reporting on animal abusers. She followed the story of a town council abusing executive session to prevent the town clerk from bringing her service dog to work. Ball also worked to let the community know what was really going on with the Jenkinsville Water Company, undeterred by intimidation, threats and the circus-like atmosphere of their Board meetings,” the judges wrote. “Ball stands up for the public and refuses to give up when faced with opposition. Her reporting leads to change.”

    “This award recognizes assertiveness in journalism, particularly by journalists who are covering public officials, public figures and public life in general,” Bender said. “To be a reporter, you have to be assertive in the first place, but to go above and beyond like Barbara has done is special.”