RICHMOND — Carol Lindstrom of Christiansburg is this year’s recipient of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government’s top award for individual contributions.
Lindstrom will receive the Laurence E. Richardson award, named in memory of longtime Charlottesville broadcaster and VCOG founding director, at the organization’s annual conference Thursday in Staunton.
Because the town of Christiansburg had a Web site with little information that was rarely updated, Lindstrom decided to create her own from scratch. With $1,000 of her own money and no technical experience she obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act, scanned and posted them.
Even after the town upgraded its site, Lindstrom continued to post documents that were not available there as well as audio and video recordings of Town Council, Planning Commission and other meetings.
“I did nothing more than any other person can do or has the right to do,” she said. “If I inspire just one other person to do the same thing, I’m the biggest winner of the century.”
Lindstrom is an advocate for open government on her blog and through her work with the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.
Reporter Mike Owens of the Bristol Herald-Courier will receive The Virginia Coalition for Open Government’s 2009 FOI award for media for a series of stories revealing a kickback scheme between an Abingdon magistrate judge and his father, a bail bondsman.
Documents Owens obtained through FOIA showed that Magistrate John C. “Tiny” Mullins III used a fellow magistrate’s computer signature to falsify records releasing three defendants from jail. All three had hired Mullins’ father, J.C. Mullins Jr., as their bondsman.
Owens’ investigation prompted a state police investigation of Mullins, who was fired from his position.
Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria will share the FOI award for government. Fairfax is honored for its efforts to collect public input for budget cuts when faced with a $650 million shortfall; Alexandria for its response to Norfolk Southern’s proposal to transfer ethanol from train to tanker cars at an Alexandria facility.
Owens is a former public safety for The News Virginian. News Virginian Editor and General Manager R. Lee Wolverton will serve as a panelist at the VCOG conference.
Wesley P. Hester is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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