During the pandemic, people have gotten used to the idea of virtual meetings. But when the pandemic is over, how much government business should be conducted online?
Should members of your local planning commission be able to participate in public business while visiting a sick relative in Florida? What about a quorum of architectural review board members participating from European vacations?
Delegate Mark Levine says members of boards and commissions should be allowed to participate virtually.
"Everyone understands that virtual meetings are not the preferred way of meeting. I think those of us who have been through 100 Zoom calls would agree to that. But they are necessary," he says. "They're a necessary evil, and they're necessary in times of pandemic to be sure. But they're also necessary when folks take care of their family members."
Not so fast says Betsy Edwards at the Virginia Press Association. She says allowing the public and the press access to real people in actual rooms is a vital part of holding public officials accountable.
"So, if a member of the public or a member of the press wants to follow up with a question of any member of that council or that board or that commission, they will approach them at the end of the meeting and ask those questions," Edwards explains. "And when someone's not there, you certainly can't do that."
If lawmakers want to create some kind of percentage of meetings people can participate in electronically, she says she's willing to consider it. But she says flat out abandoning the requirement for members of boards and commissions to be physically present most of the time would be a terrible mistake.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
