Norfolk won't air council's work sessions on TV

NORFOLK

Almost every city in Virginia televises informal meetings of its city council so residents can see their elected leaders at work.

But the sessions won't air anytime soon in Norfolk.

The council rejected a proposal from new council members Tommy Smigiel and Andy Protogyrou to begin televising the informal work sessions. Smigiel and Protogyrou both campaigned for more transparency in city government when they ran for election in May.

Most of the work done by the Norfolk council occurs during the informal work sessions, where members gather around a conference table to hear staff presentations and discuss controversial issues. They then head upstairs to council chambers, where they vote on the issues they often just debated at the informal session, usually without any discussion.

Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Suffolk all televise their work sessions. Virginia Beach airs all council meetings live, as well as School Board and Planning Commission meetings.

"Nobody has made a rational argument as to why we shouldn't televise our council meetings," Smigiel said. "It sends a bad message to the citizens that surrounding cities do it and we do not."

Smigiel was pleased, however, that the council agreed to begin televising its formal sessions. Norfolk now broadcasts about half of the formal meetings. Broadcasting all of the meetings can be done at no additional cost.

The cost of televising the informal sessions was an issue to some members.

City Manager Regina V.K. Williams said it would cost $32,000 to install cameras in the meeting room and $10,000 annually to broadcast the sessions. It would cost another $40,000 to dub the broadcasts for the hearing-impaired.

"That's one school teacher's salary," Councilwoman Alveta Green said. "If we have any hot button issues, other cameras are going to be there."

Councilman Barclay C. Winn, who is undecided on the issue, suggested that the group reconsider the matter in May, when the next budget is adopted.

However, it appears unlikely anything will change. A council majority is opposed, including Green, Mayor Paul Fraim, Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot and Councilman Paul R. Riddick.

"If people weren't able to come to informal sessions, I would understand the need for cameras," Burfoot said. "As long as the doors are open and people can come in and sit and listen to us," he is in favor of the status quo.

Fraim, who was re-elected with 64 percent of the vote against three opponents in May, said he heard little about televising meetings during his campaign.

He said he's worried that the demeanor of council debates would be changed by the presence of cameras.

The council retreat, held Monday and Tuesday at the Attucks Theatre, was not televised.

Many of the dozen residents who attended complained they could not hear council members and asked them to speak up. But they had no problem hearing an exchange between Fraim and Smigiel.

"How many people over there would watch" if meetings were on TV, Smigiel asked spectators.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Fraim said. "This is a council discussion."

Most of the spectators, nonetheless, raised their hands.

Pilot writers Marjon Rostami, Deirdre Fernandes, Lauren Roth, Dave Forster and Jeffery Shuler contributed to this report.

Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com