When he asked for a copy of the detailed budget, County Administrator Terry Lewis refused. He told Bailey he could come to the administration office to look it over. That's not good enough, Bailey said. It's a fact. It's an experience.
Persistence pays off.
Bailey went to a law library to find out how to file a lawsuit under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. He discovered he could file a lawsuit on his own in a general district court. And the speed the law calls for impressed him, too. Surry General District Judge John Baker ruled in Bailey's favor. County officials turned over a copy of the detailed budget on the spot.