State Employee's Blog Comments Draw Ire of Local & State Officials

One of Virginia’s leading bloggers and commentators, Will Vehrs has run afoul of state politicians and local economic developers due to comments made in jest on leading blog on which he is a major contributor. Noted for its strong conservative stances and a humorous weekly caption contest, the Commonwealth Conservative blog is one of the most popular in Old Dominion. Vehrs, an official with one of Virginia’s state economic development agencies, submitted several entries, all under the auspices of good fun. That fun quickly turned into a little tempest.

Some of the state’s leading bloggers have offered their take on the matter, mostly coming to Vehr’s defense, while acknowledging that he demonstrated questionable judgment. To his credit, Vehrs quickly offered a heartfelt apology, but that failed to satisfy some local leaders in hard-pressed areas of Martinsville and Henry County. The stakes were raised even higher when state legislators representing the offended region called on Gov. Tim Kaine to ask for Vehrs' resignation.

How this matter plays out should be of interest to all public employees who engage in blogging and opinion writing unrelated to their jobs. If Vehrs is forced to resign, such an action could send chills throughout the Commonwealth's civil service community. This situation raises the issue of how far free speech protections extend to public employees not acting in an official capacity. It also calls into question the extent to which elected officials and local leaders should go in exercising their respective bully pulpits. Without a doubt, this will be a lesson for Mr. Vehrs and the larger blogging community, especially those who do so during work hours. Though cooler heads may eventually prevail, this situation seems far from over.