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Spotsylvania's chief prosecutor says School Board member also told him of regular open-meeting violations Date published: 10/26/2007
By DAN TELVOCK Spotsylvania's chief prosecutor says a county School Board member told him the board regularly violated the state's open-meeting law, supporting allegations by former County Attorney Mark Taylor. In an e-mail to current County Attorney Jacob Stroman, Commonwealth's Attorney Bill Neely wrote that School Board member Ray Lora told him the board violated the Freedom of Information Act, which requires open meetings except in certain situations. Neely wrote that King George Commonwealth's Attorney Matt Britton, who was the special prosecutor in a case last year against Superintendent Jerry Hill, told him he has the same recollection. Lora vehemently denies speaking to Neely or Taylor about any violations. He declined to discuss conversations with Britton during the Hill investigation. Neely's e-mail, which The Free Lance-Star obtained from a source, backs up allegations made by Taylor. In an Oct. 9 letter, made available to The Free Lance-Star, Taylor asked the Board of Supervisors for permission to go public with statements he said Lora made to him about open-meeting violations. Taylor, now the Accomack County attorney, said Lora told him the School Board, directed by Hill, chronically abused laws by not publicly disclosing topics discussed behind closed doors. Neely e-mailed Stroman Oct. 15 that, "Mark Taylor's recent letter quoted in [The Free Lance-Star] had the facts straight, and Ray Lora's response was completely untrue." School Board members and Hill said the allegations are political attacks, timed to influence the Nov. 6 elections. Two School Board members--Gary Skinner and Charles Cowsert--are running for the Board of Supervisors. Taylor, Lora respondTaylor said Neely's e-mail vindicates him. "Of course, I told the truth," Taylor said. "And of course, this is political. But it is not about personalities. It is about principles. It is about telling the truth and conducting government according to the law." Taylor's letter to supervisors states that Lora came to him during the Hill investigation. In December 2005, Britton had been named the special prosecutor for the case against Hill on election-law and obstruction-of-justice charges. Neely was assigned the case, but he handed it off to Britton because Neely's wife is a Spotsylvania teacher. A judge eventually dismissed one charge against Hill and Britton dropped the second one.
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 10/26/2007
Neely recused himself from this whole thing and referred it to Britton. Why, then, is he inserting himself now in this whole issue? IYou gotta wonder about his judgment. And I agree with Lora that the timing of former attorney Mark Taylor's allegations, who himself punted this when he had it and is a friend of Vince Onorato, is is very suspicious and sounds politically driven to help the campaign of an angry and desperate man trying to hold onto his seat in the Lee Hill District.
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