Open Illinois.org

The title says it all.

In total, we’ve had 10 candidates for Palatine’s elected offices–the township, highways, school, park and library districts–sign on board with our clear and proactive Transparency Pledge. This is all due to the hard work of a Liberty Leader named Valerie I.

The Palatine candidates committing to a proactive policy of government transparency include:

Joe Gump (Candidate for Palatine Township Highway Commissioner), Jan Wood (Candidate for Palatine Township Trustee), Duncan Swenson (Candidate for Palatine Township Supervisor), Kevin O’Connell (Candidate for Palantine Township Clerk), Hal Snyder, M.D. (Candidate for Palatine Township Trustee), Elizabeth Marcin (Candidate for Palatine Township Trustee), Lige Dexter Stokes (Candidate for Palatine Park District Trustee), Vito Manola (Candidate for Palatine Mayor), Nancy Carlson (Candidate for President of Palatine District 15 School Board), and Robert Brunn (Candidate of Palatine Public Library District Trustee).

Kudos to each one of these Transparency Pledge signatories, Democrat and Republican alike.

Why do we ask candidates to sign on to our transparency pledge? We believe a commitment to being proactive in one’s support of government transparency sets the stage for pro-transparency legislation that will turn good ideas into law.

The transparency we seek is easy, quick to implement, good policy, and it doesn’t have to cost a penny. Small or large, it’s easy for any government body to become transparent. All you need is a website and 5 minutes to export your check register as an Excel or PDF file and you’re done. Any government body, whether it retains full- or part-time website employees, can spare a few minutes after every meeting to post this important information online.

We’re often asked why it’s important to post expenditures online regularly and not just at the end of the year. The answer is simple: Transparency is not an end unto itself, but a means by which citizens can become engaged in their local government. This engagement doesn’t happen at one time during the year–it’s a constant effort. Officials have a duty to share decisions about spending as soon as they happen so citizens can participate in the discussion and help to identify instances where their money could be spent better or savings could be had. If this is done at the end of the year, it’s really too late to realize savings or inefficiencies.

As the April 7th elections approach, we’ll continue to post new signatories to our Transparency Pledge and look forward to these solid pro-transparency candidates being elected across Illinois.