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

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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.
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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 »

Texas is serving as the model of state transparency efforts. According to a guest column on GoSanAngelo.com, Texas has achieved the following benchmarks in the fight for transparency:

- posting state budget information online in a user-friendly format
- streaming video of live House and Senate proceedings
- passage of multiple bills related to transparency and accountability
- Gov. Rick Perry signed an Executive Order in 2005 requiring school districts to post their check registers online if they failed to meet certain spending criteria
- Texas legislators, working in tandem with the governor’s office, enacted the “Truth-in-Taxation” bill in 2005
- Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has converted the state’s massive budget into a user-friendly package with the introduction of “Where the Money Goes,” which saved more than $2.3 million in her agency alone
- The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently launched a new Web site, TexasBudgetSource.com, which supplements “Where the Money Goes” with detailed budget analysis of state expenditures over the past 20 years, links to the online check registers of more than 150 Texas school districts, and lists of counties and cities that have posted their budget information online and more

Aiding the above efforts is a new kid on the block, Texas Watchdog. According to its website, Texas Watchdog is a news Web site and training center that scrutinizes the actions of government agencies, bureaucracies and politicians in Texas. It is an independent, nonpartisan entity founded on the belief that our American democracy depends on transparency in government.

All of this good government in a huge state like Texas just tells me one thing… 49 states have some ’splainin’ to do.

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

As a part of its “No Taxation Without Information” National Campaign, the Sam Adams Alliance recently conducted an interview with Brett Narloch, Executive Director of the North Dakota Policy Council (NDPC). The NDPC has been at the forefront of government transparency with the development of its Sunshine on Schools website that was discussed on this site.

Click here to listen to the podcast with Jason Stverak of the Sam Adams Alliance and Brett Narloch of the NDPC as they discuss transparency, the NDPC and sunflowers back home in North Dakota.

The North Dakota Policy Council (NDPC) is a liberty-based think tank focused on North Dakota solutions to North Dakota’s problems. They provide credible nonpartisan expertise and research to help North Dakotans advocate policies that are based on individual liberty, individual responsibility, and limited government.

The NDPC seeks to broaden policy debates beyond the belief that government intervention should be the avenue of first, rather than last, resort. They believe that:

* Government can only give to one person what it takes away from another, and that the power to give presumes the power to take.

* Policies intended to affect one person or one group can affect all people and all groups, and that these unintended consequences often cause more harm to the many than any good done for the one.

* Freedom requires responsibility: where government largesse replaces individual foresight it destroys responsibility and, therefore, freedom.

* All times matter. Long-term consequences are as or more important than short-term impacts. Emotional reactions are not suitable substitutes for rational solutions.

Posted by: Molly Pitcher | Category: No Taxation Without Information, Podcast, sunshine | 2 comments »

Although Louisiana has become Ground Zero for transparency progress, there is still a long way to go until state and local governments can really develop a reputation for clean and efficient government. After reading local LA news, I have a couple of suggestions for any public servant’s transparency “to do” list.

#1- Develop written procedures and guidelines for government credit cards BEFORE waste and theft occur. Audit statements monthly.

Example you should not follow: Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price has recently found himself in hot water (again) when an audit found he had misused his city credit card to purchase private vacations and other personal expenditures. Some city councilmen commented publicly that they had no knowledge these expenditures were taking place. My solution? Put all expenditures online for journalists, taxpayers, and even the city council members to scrutinize and take a proactive stance against corruption and sneaky spending with public funds.

#2- Give public information to the public, with or without request. No questions, no excuses.

Example you should not follow: Robert Morgan of TheTownTalk.com points out in a recent column that government employees often do not understand basic open records law, and may choose to delay the delivery of requested documents in error. Mr. Morgan names names in his article, citing examples from Rapides Parish Schools and the city of Alexandria.

I will continue to watch Louisiana’s media and new media for updates on how they are finding their way to the land of milk, honey, and open government.

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

I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight “Empower Texans” and their campaign to bring accountability and transparency to all levels of government in Texas.

Recently, Empower Texans, posted the first in what the organization promises to be a series of hard hitting videos and public statements asking the tough questions about what exactly are the taxpayers of Texas are getting for their dollars in education and other government services.

This video is about 8 minutes in length and I encourage you to take a look even if you do not live in Texas because every taxpayer should be asking these types of questions from their elected officials.

In case you do not know much about Empower Texans, their website states Empower Texans exists “to create and sustain a system of strong fiscal stewardship within all levels of Texas government, ensuring the greatest amounts of economic and personal liberty, and promoting public policies that provide individuals with the freedom to use their strengths and talents in pursuit of greater opportunities.”

They accomplish this goal by informing “voters, taxpayers and elected officials about policy solutions that are consistent with the principles of individual liberty and free markets, while working to build support for those policies among key constituencies.”

It is great to see citizens and organizations fighting for liberty and free-market principles.

Posted by: Molly Pitcher | Category: Transparency Campaigns, Transparency in Schools, sunshine | Comments »

I recently interviewed Mike Maurer of the Buckeye Institute in Ohio regarding their new Government Transparency Center. The Center’s first task is to engage citizen activists in OhioSunshine.org, a wiki project aimed at opening up Ohio government to taxpayers. Maurer will also spearhead an effort to gain candidate participation in their Pledge for Transparency and Accountability in Government. From Harold’s Chicken Shack to the possibility of uncovering corruption and everything in between, Mike had a lot of great insights.

Check out the Buckeye Institute Podcast Interview Here

The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is a nonpartisan research and educational institute devoted to individual liberty, economic freedom, personal responsibility and limited government in Ohio.

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: sunshine | Comments »

The Pottsmerc.com editor has an ax to grind- with corrupt incumbent Pennsylvania legislators. In response to a poll taken by Quinnipiac University, 3 out of 4 Pennsylvania residents do not believe the legislature will take steps to improve ethics in their state capitol. The poll was taken in the wake of the Bonusgate scandal.

Therein lies the real danger in such scandals — as well as the possible solution.

People get so discouraged with the process, they begin to withdraw altogether. They shrug their shoulders, roll their eyes. Another day, another scandal in Harrisburg.
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It was just a few years ago when voters, outraged over a pay raise voted by the Legislature in the wee hours of the morning, took out their revenge in a more practical manner. First they vented their spleen. They demonstrated. They wrote letters. They held protests at the state Capitol. Then they got serious. They voted.

A lot of politicians didn’t even wait for the dust to settle. They left Harrisburg before they could be shown the door in the primaries. Several longtime pols who dared appear on the ballot were unceremoniously dumped from office.

It’s time for voters to get involved one more time. Three of four people in the state do not believe the Legislature will take the necessary steps to clean up their act.

Citizens should do it for them. At the voting booth.

This is sound advice for many, many -too many- cities. Voters of New Orleans, Chicago, Youngstown, Detroit.. are you listening???

Posted by: Jayme Siemer | Category: Corruption | Comments »