This thing looks so awesome on my piano.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 18, 2005Andrew Beaujon and Don Harrison of Save Richmond have been named this year’s winners of the Laurence E. Richardson Freedom of Information Award.
“This recognition is given by the Virginia Coalition for Open Government for [Save Richmond's] efforts in rooting out financial information about the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation,” wrote Frosty Landon, the executive director of the coalition, in a letter announcing the award.
“Our judges were impressed with your aggressive use of the Freedom of Information Act to obtain financial documents and correspondence,” from city and state agencies regarding the arts foundation, Landon wrote to Save Richmond.
Landon and the VCOG also commended Harrison and Beaujon for “seeking a detailed opinion from the Office of the Freedom of Information Advisory Council that helped underscore the continuing confusion over the state’s disclosure rules for nonprofits that receive significant public funding.”
The Richardson award, named after a long-time Charlottesville broadcasting executive, is presented each year to individual Virginia citizens who demonstrate outstanding efforts to advance Freedom of Information in the Commonwealth; Harrison and Beaujon accepted their awards at the VCOG’s annual dinner last night in Lexington.
It was through Save Richmond’s efforts that Virginia taxpayers were finally able to see a bank statement and other pertinent documents from the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation (VAPAF), a private organization building a performing arts center to be funded largely from increased Richmond meals tax revenues and state tax money but shielded from public oversight.
“We’re honored and humbled by this award,” said Save Richmond’s Beaujon. “We hope if our work has a legacy, it’s that business and civic leaders in Virginia will realize the importance of transparency and open government, and that average citizens know that the tools for reminding them of that–weblogs and FOIA requests–are inexpensive and easy to use.”
Since its creation in 2003 as a watchdog group and daily weblog, Save Richmond has argued against the use of public funds for a project that was never independently studied; the group has also advocated for increased community input into the VAPAF’s $100-million-plus project and has pushed for a more prominent role for city performing artists and knowledgeable arts administrators in the venture.