I apologize for the sporadic posting lately- I took a brief vacation, and spent some time in Las Vegas to attend the Conservative Leadership Conference, which included a lot of transparency discussion of tactics and tools.

CLC panelists took advantage of their platform to promote their transparency resources. I have listed a few of those below:

Transparent Nevada
Americans for Tax Reform
Missouri Accountability Portal
Ballotpedia
Sunshine Review

Other highlights from CLC were presentations by the Leadership Institute, John Fund, Congressman Shadegg, Thomas Keene, and an amazing performance by The Cactus Cuties.

Congratulations to Michael Brogkorb from Minnesota Democrats Exposed, winner of the Conservative Blogger of the Year award for his work to provide transparency regarding Al Franken’s tax documents.

Thank you to Chuck Muth of Citizen Outreach for hosting the conference. Can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: sunshine | 2 comments »

Sometimes when an idea is good once, it’s better twice- which is the case with Nevada’s new transparency websites.

The Nevada Policy Research Institute launched TransparentNevada.com this week, which includes searchable county and state financial data such as purchasing contracts, budgets, government employee salaries, lobbying expenses. The site also includes some departmental expenditures (education, transportation, and Health and Human Services), and a blog.

Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons hopped on the transparency bandwagon, forcing transparency by executive order last March. Nevada Open Government should be up and running soon, and will include searchable budgets, expenditures, contracts, and grants. If you go to the site now, you are greeted with links to miscellaneous financial data and reports.

These two websites will hopefully mean double trouble for the state’s tax-eaters and rent-seekers.

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: No Taxation Without Information, Transparency Campaigns, Transparency Legislation | Comments »

Great transparency article from Paul Jacob on Sept 12th. (reprinted with permission)

You can see this article as well as Paul’s other columns at ThisIsCommonSense.com:

© Is for California

You might think that there’s nothing a government won’t try. You’d be right. But I was near stupefied to learn that the state of California copyrights its laws. And it’s not alone.

The state tries to control — through copyright — how you can access its laws, where and how you store them, etc. The state makes available its building codes, plumbing standards and criminal laws online, but requires you to ask for permission to download them!

The state’s out to make money. It charges $1,556 for a digital version, more for a print-out, and makes nearly a million dollars a year selling what is legally ours.

Yes, what’s ours. We are a nation of laws, not of men, and we have the right to own and reprint our laws as much as we want. The purpose of copyright is to ensure private parties can maintain some control over their intellectual property. But the laws themselves are, in point of elementary political theory, the intellectual property of all. Not of state bureaus.

Thankfully, heroic Internet technician and mover and shaker Carl Malamud believes in government transparency. And he, unlike Al Gore, really worked to help build the Internet.

On Labor Day Mr. Malamud published the whole California code online. Available for free.

Obviously, Malamud is spoiling for a fight. Good. He should win it. He has, after all, the law (if not the state) on his side.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: Transparency Activist, sunshine | Comments »

Nothing is more disappointing than when a public official believes they are above the law and abuses the public trust. That is exactly what happened with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. His decision to lie under oath and to continue to deny it has cost the taxpayers of Detroit thousands of dollars and brought shame upon every elected official in Michigan. I hope the stiff penalties that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is facing will serve as a warning to other elected officials that it is better to tell the truth than lie to the American people.

If you would like more information about this item I have posted an article about the subject.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who will lose his job because he lied while under oath at a police whistle-blower trial, has just pledged to tell the truth as he prepares to admit his guilt as part of a plea deal he just struck with the Wayne County Prosecutor.
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The deal calls for Kilpatrick to plead guilty to two felony counts of obstruction of justice by committing perjury, agreeing to serve four months in jail, pay up to $1 million in restitution, and serve five years’ probation. He also agreed not to run for office during that five-year span.

The mayor will turn over his state pension to the City of Detroit, which paid $8.4 million to settle two whistle-blower lawsuits three former cops filed against the city. The mayor was charged with eight felony counts ranging from conspiracy to perjury to misconduct in office to obstruction of justice after the Free Press revealed that the mayor lied on the witness stand during a police whistle-blower trial and gave misleading testimony about whether he intended to fire a deputy police chief investigating allegations of wrongdoing by members of his inner circle.

In a rushed monotone, Kilpatrick told the court: “I lied under oath in the case of Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope versus the city of Detroit … I did so with the intent to mislead the court and jury, to impede and obstruct the disposition of justice.”

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Posted by: Molly Pitcher | Category: Corruption | Comments »

The Advocate lauded the work of Sunshine Review on examining Louisiana parish websites.

After surveying parish government Web sites in Louisiana’s 64 parishes, the Sunshine Review discovered the following:

* Thirty-three parish Web sites inform residents about who the elected officials of the parish are; 25 parish Web sites do not. Six such Web sites give partial information.
* Only 15 parish Web sites post the parish budget.
* Only four parish Web sites tell residents how to file a public records request through Louisiana’s Public Records Law.
* Thirty parish Web sites inform residents about public meetings. Thirty-three do not, and one gives partial information.
* Only nine parish Web sites include information on building permits and zoning.
* Only two parish Web sites provide information on parish contracts.

“Technology can be used to make government more transparent than ever,” said John Tsarpalis (sic), vice president of the alliance.

We agree, and we hope more parish governments do a better job of providing information on the Internet for the people they’re supposed to serve.

Post-Gustav, please go ahead and continue to do the work needed to open up government to LA taxpayers.

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: No Taxation Without Information | Comments »

Bob Weeks, a free market activist in Sedgwick County, KS, is fighting the development of a TIF district that will benefit school board member and real estate developer Reverend Kevass Harding. Weeks reports that a conflict of interest exists for Harding, who is a member of the school board that is required to agree to the TIF, along with the county commission. Actually, the school board and county commission do not need to approve anything, but rather just not veto the proposal within 30 days.

From Weeks’ blog, Voice for Liberty in Witchita:

The best solution is for Reverend Harding to withdraw his request for the creation of the TIF district that benefits his development. Then there is no problem with conflicts of interest. This is also congruent with Reverend Harding’s votes to increase taxes while a member of the school board. His business would pay the same taxes he demands others pay.

Failing that, one way we could handle this situation is that the city could ask the school board to agree to pass a resolution agreeing to the TIF, even through they aren’t required to do this. Then Reverend Harding could publicly acknowledge his conflict of interest and step aside.

Although I don’t pretend to know the correct course of action in this particular situation, I do believe it’s these everyday little abuses of power and cloaked deals that make citizens disgusted with the political process. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and probably again, and again, and again…) public servants need to be voluntarily forthcoming with all conflicts of interest, personal benefit, and offer detailed plans to taxpayers. This is the only way to restore faith in our system and in the public officials that make taxing and spending decisions on behalf of others.

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: Transparency Activist | Comments »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2008

For more information:
Isabel Santa, (305) 431-8381

Tackling Parish Websites Can Enhance Transparency

A new website helps Louisianans know more about their parish websites

Chicago, IL – In an effort to ensure good government across the country, the Sam Adams Alliance launched Sunshine Review, a new, wiki-style website focused on evaluating the accessibility of government information and data on government websites. Recently, Sunshine Review users evaluated all 64 parish websites, finding a lack of transparency in over a third of them.

“Sunshine Review was created to make sure citizens nationwide have access to the information they need on government websites,” said John Tsarpalas, vice president of the Sam Adams Alliance.

According to a parish evaluation report on Sunshine Review, many Louisianans are in the dark on who is spending their tax dollars and where it is going. Currently, 25 parish websites don’t provide details about elected officials or their contact information, 33 don’t list meeting schedules or minutes, and 33 don’t post yearly budgets.

“Sunshine Review is performing a vital service to the citizens of Louisiana by identifying the shortcomings of local government websites,” said Kevin Kane, president of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. “How can we become informed voters without access to such basic information? These wiki-style websites will play an important role in the movement to reform state and local government and Sunshine Review is leading the way.”

Launched in July 2008, Sunshine Review wants citizens everywhere to easily be able to locate basic facts about local governments on city, county and school district websites. The “My Government Website Project” on Sunshine Review has already initiated ratings of local government websites in 10 states. The website evaluation project is part of Sunshine Review’s No Taxation Without Information campaign.

“Technology should be used to make government more transparent than ever. We need to break this informational iron curtain between government and the people,” Tsarpalas said.

During the legislature’s ethics special session earlier in the year, Governor Jindal passed legislation that would increase transparency by creating a searchable database of state spending online.

About Sunshine Review
Sunshine Review is a Wikipedia-like website that enables people to find and share information about whether state and local governments are effective, easy to reach, open, honest and responsible with taxpayer money. Sunshine Review is a project of the Sam Adams Alliance, a national non-profit organization that strives to educate and inform citizens about political issues through new media tools.

For more information about Sunshine Review or to request an interview, please contact Isabel Santa at (305) 431-8381 or izzy@samadamsalliance.org

###

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: No Taxation Without Information | Comments »

Georgia’s Secretary of State, Karen Handel, announced the launch of the Transparency in Government Initiative website this week. Although it currently only hosts the Georgia Secretary of State’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget, Secretary Handel’s campaign and personal finance disclosures, and the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office Ethics Policy, Secretary Handel promises to include expenditures very soon. Let’s hope they will be in a searchable database format.

Read more about the site at ShowMeTheSpending.org, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and Americans for Tax Reform.

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: Transparency Legislation | Comments »

A while back, I wrote a post on presidential candidates taking a stand on transparency with tax dollars, so it didn’t surprise me when I started seeing down-ballot campaigns begin to use open government as a key plank in their platforms. I thought I would begin to randomly post the ideas from campaigns as I come across them. Please note that the posting has nothing to do with party or support from me or the Sam Adams Alliance, but merely should serve as an example of some of the ideas being batted about this election season.

Robert Owens, Independent for Ohio Attorney General, was the first AG candidate to sign Buckeye’s Transparency Pledge. Owens is discussing the need for more openness in state contracts.

Side Note: You can hear my podcast interview discussing Buckeye’s new Transparency Center with Mike Maurer here.

Colorado’s race for Eagle County Commissioner has at least one candidate addressing the need for transparency. The Aspen Times printed a letter to the editor from Debbie Buckley that stated the following:

I believe the county should increase the effort to be transparent by making expenditures available and understandable through the county website. The data should be searchable within categories and be accompanied by a very brief explanation.

True transparency must include ready access to reliable, comprehensive, timely and easily understandable information on spending. Active participation of Eagle County citizens will depend on the ease of use of this system.

Transparency: Less taxpayer dollars spent, More taxpayer faith in government.

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: Transparency Campaigns | Comments »

As the old saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same. Such is the case in Illinois, which has some of the most lax ethics laws in the nation. HB824 is a painstakingly crafted piece of legislation that took eons of negotiation and compromise to pass both houses of the IL legislature. Now, Governor Rod Blagojevich plans to re-write the legislation using his amendatory veto powers. Most people believe this will result in the legislature rejecting the changes and zero legislation being passed. After countless news stories of ethical lapses from government officials, some elected officials are not letting the legislation go down without a fight.

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) weighed in with a Tribune op-ed last Friday with a strong piece urging the governor’s signature on the legislation.

The legislation places campaign contribution limits on individuals and businesses that receive state contracts and requires more disclosure and transparency from those bidders who do business with the state.

It passed unanimously out of both chambers of the General Assembly earlier this year.
…
We’ve heard the promises, the sound-bite slogans and empty rhetoric. We’ve endured the headline pandering and witnessed the corruption that has resulted from inaction.

Pay-to-play politics demonstrates that you can put a price tag on corruption and it’s a cost Illinois can no longer afford. We’re ready for reform.

Rep. John Fritchey (D) blogged this unflattering prediction of Blagojevich’s actions:

There is little to no doubt that the Governor is going to AV the bill. And there is little to no doubt that his actions will result in widespread criticism. So what do you do if you’re the Governor?

I’m guessing that you AV the bill while everybody is focused on the Democratic Convention, while most of the major political reporters who are familiar with the story are half a country away, and while stories of Barack’s nomination are taking up most of the media space. I’ll even predict a Thursday or even Friday announcement of his action, so as to provide for maximum story burial potential, under the shadow of Barack’s acceptance speech.

So while many Illinois Democrats hope to ride Barack’s coattails, it looks like the Governor will try to hide behind them. It may be a good political move, but a profile in courage it isn’t.

If you doubt IL is in need of ethics legislation, here is a small sample of just today’s headlines:
Sun Timesand Daily Herald

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: Transparency Legislation | Comments »