southtownstar.suntimes.com

Prolific freedom of information filers try to shed some light

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:11:10 -0500

Their names are well-known to village clerks. Their freedom of information requests pile up. They consider themselves active members of society, self-appointed watchdogs who want to know how their tax money’s being spent. Some share the data with others, some use it for lawsuits, some simply want to keep a watchful eye on government and understand how their tax dollars are being spent. Mostly, they just want to know. Take Robert McCoy, one of the most prolific filers of Freedom of Information Act requests in the Southland. In 12 months, McCoy filed 85 FOI requests at the Chicago Heights City …

Keeping tabs on housing market through FOIAs

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:34:35 -0500

Every month, without fail in at least six south suburban towns, a financial adviser files a Freedom of Information Act request for all new building permits over $20,000. And developers want copies of the last 10 bids on various municipal projects. It’s all part of doing business, and it’s all perfectly legal. As part of the recent Sunshine Week — which highlights the importance of open government and freedom of information — the SouthtownStar examined FOIA request logs from a dozen south and southwest suburbs. What we found is that across the Southland, a good chunk of requests came not …

Is sharing information with public too costly?

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:02:16 -0500

Tinley Park Village Clerk Pat Rea sighed at the paper-stuffed boxes stacked on a table in the village hall. Their contents — the fruit of a year’s worth of Freedom of Information Act requests — have cost the village excess time and money, he says. Consider it the public price of government transparency: more than 300 hours in labor and $13,000. In the second year Illinois’ updated Freedom of Information law has been in effect, Tinley Park perhaps has been the Southland’s most vocal municipality complaining about the expense and burden of complying with the law. Beginning in April, the …

Obama administration denying requests for information

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:01:31 -0500

WASHINGTON — Two years into its pledge to improve government transparency, the Barack Obama administration took action on fewer requests for federal records from citizens, journalists, companies and others last year even as significantly more people asked for information. The administration disclosed at least some of what people wanted at about the same rate as the previous year. People requested information 544,360 times last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act from the 35 largest agencies, up nearly 41,000 more than the previous year, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of new federal data. But the government …

Openness in state government? Survey shows obstacles

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:01:12 -0500

NEW YORK — More openness in government. Lawmakers across the country, including the Republicans who took control in many states this year, say they want it. But a survey of all 50 states by The Associated Press has found that efforts to boost openness often are being thwarted by old patterns of secrecy. The survey did find signs of progress in a number of states, especially in technological efforts to make much more information available online. But there also are restrictions being put in place for recent electronic trends, such as limits on access to officials’ text messages. The AP …

Thousands got Illinois-subsidized jobs — but who?

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:34:36 -0500

SPRINGFIELD — In 2006, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he would give poor teens eight-week summer jobs on community service and highway beautification projects. Thousands of youths, he said, got the state-subsidized posts over the next three years. But ever since, state officials have refused to say who those young people were, so there’s no way to verify the government claims. State officials can’t account for all of the participants. And they say they have no documents for the program before 2008. Now federal prosecutors are also asking questions about Blagojevich’s Summer Youth Works initiative. The Associated Press has obtained …

Sunshine’s good for budget health, as well

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:34:36 -0500

Sunshine Week may sound like an alluring Caribbean vacation, but it actually is a national initiative to further open government. News media, nonprofit organizations, libraries, schools and others interested in protecting the public’s right to know participate. Sunshine Week began in 2002 when Florida legislators sought to weaken that state’s Freedom of Information Act with hundreds of exemptions. A feisty reaction from the public led to defeat of the measures — and an annual weeklong reminder of the importance of public access. You may never have filed a Freedom of Information Act request with a local government, but we can …

You’re the power source to light up government

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:34:36 -0500

I resent the fact that people have to ask their government in writing for public information. Almost every document these days is stored in a computer. But if you want a copy of a school superintendent’s contract, for example, you’ll be asked to file a request in writing with school officials that includes your name and home address. That’s not the law in Illinois. It doesn’t require a written form to be filed unless the government entity is going to turn you down and you’re going to have to file an appeal. The only real purpose for making people file …

It's your government, not the employees'

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:54:05 -0500

KADNER: What does the government have to hide? That's the question every person should ask when elected officials try to keep secrets.

Advocates: State needs more sunshine

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:17:06 -0500

Open government in Illinois may have gotten a boost when the state's bulked-up Freedom of Information Act took effect in January 2010, but it's still far from perfect, according to some experts. Because of changes to the law, the public and the working media now have a designated referee with binding authority to handle open records and meetings disputes. Still, only three months in, attempts to tone down the tougher law already have started in the General Assembly, and local government officials still are trying to adjust to the law's new teeth. "While Illinois has improved its FOIA, it still …

Educators' hotel stays, parties on you

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:07:12 -0500

A review of school districts' credit card bills shows some of the biggest tabs are rung up close to home, not while officials and board members are away at conferences.

Taxpayers can track state grants

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:05:35 -0500

Illinois taxpayers now have a new way to track state-funded grants. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has launched a Web site called "Grant Tracker." DCEO director Warren Ribley says Gov. Pat Quinn's makes government "transparency" a priority. He says state and federal grants comprise "a portfolio that is owned by all Illinoisans." The Web site allows searches of all grants administered by DCEO beginning July 1, 2008. The site allows taxpayers to seek grants by categories, funding streams, regions and organization names and a mapping program provides a location for grant recipients. The agency chose "Sunshine Week" to …

Con-fer-ence: An excuse to spend lavishly?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:51:15 -0500

Kathy Quilty is one of the most frugal school board members in the Southland. The District 230 board member spent $22.30 for her trip to a Chicago conference while many other school administrators and board members dropped a bundle on meals, hotels and travel, a review of expense records by the SouthtownStar found.

How to get answers from public officials

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:06:24 -0500

Illinois' strengthened Freedom of Information Act has been in effect for less than three full months, and already hundreds of members of the public have turned to the attorney general's office for help in records disputes, according to a new report. "Our goal is to ensure transparency at all levels of government and, as a result, to establish a new standard of accountability and openness in conducting the people's business" Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a written statement. "Members of the public are already taking advantage of the new process in place for ensuring transparency." Among other things, …

Police reports open to the public

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:46:01 -0500

No matter how serious the crimes described in them may be, police reports are public record in Illinois. And by state law, anyone is allowed access to them. Though the Illinois Freedom of Information Act is specific as to what types of information should be made available - and even when it should be made available - the process for obtaining the information isn't necessarily uniform. "We're firm believers in the FOIA law," Frankfort police Cmdr. John Burica said. But "we want to protect the people making the reports. You can't be too careful with what information goes out." During …