WHEREAS, David M. Poole, founder and longtime executive director of the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of elevating public understanding of politics and government by organizing and presenting information in ways that are easily accessible and free of partisan bias, retired in 2022; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in Soviet and East European Studies, David Poole began a distinguished career in journalism with outlets such as The Christian Science Monitor, The News & Advance in Lynchburg, The Tampa Tribune, and The Roanoke Times; and

WHEREAS, in 1997, David Poole took a leave of absence from his post as a political reporter with The Roanoke Times to build a campaign finance database for a consortium of newspapers in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, recognizing the database's value as a public resource, David Poole recruited a board of directors to expand its operations into a full-fledged organization; the Virginia Public Access Project held its first organizational meeting in January 1997 and brought a searchable database of campaign donors to legislative and statewide candidates online in June of that year; and

WHEREAS, over the past 25 years, David Poole has served as executive director of the Virginia Public Access Project, promoting transparency by fostering the development of various resources that have proven vital to the public's understanding of campaign financing and other facets of state and local government, including election results, lobbying, the legislative process, and redistricting; and

WHEREAS, David Poole's efforts with the Virginia Public Access Project have supported the integrity of elections in the Commonwealth and produced other reliable, nonpartisan information to promote transparency in government at both the state and local levels; and

WHEREAS, both through the Virginia Public Access Project and media interviews, David Poole has often provided educated analysis and commentary to facilitate the public's grasp of political trends and the inner workings of state and local politics; and

WHEREAS, with an informed citizenry being essential to democracy, David Poole's accomplishments with the Virginia Public Access Project have helped to uphold our highest ideals of governance and serve as an inspiration to all Virginians; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That David M. Poole, founder and executive director of the Virginia Public Access Project, hereby be commended on the occasion of his retirement; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to David M. Poole as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth and best wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement.