Brian Costin
Director of Government Reform
Cissna Park Clerk accused of embezzling more than $100,000
Cissna Park Clerk Rhonda Sue Siebert
was charged this week with stealing from the village using checks, cash
and the village’s credit card. A lack of transparency may be to blame.
Unfortunately,
Cissna Park doesn’t have a public website. This denies citizens the
opportunity to be educated participants and to hold the village
accountable. We urge Cissna Park and all local governments to follow
our 10-Point Transparency Checklist, a powerful-corruption fighting tool for the public.
Another red flag for Cissna Park appears on the State Comptroller website.
Cissna Park has failed to file its required Annual Financial Report for
2010, 2011 and 2012 despite state laws requiring it to do so. The
village’s last report was for 2009.
State senator in O'Hare gun case freed on bond
State Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, was charged with trying to board a jet while in possession of a gun.
On his Facebook page, state Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, said:
“Sen. Trotter has been one of the most strident anti-gun legislators in the state, yet he packs a gun.”
Hypocrisy?
Trotter
is also running to replace Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Chicago, who
resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives in November.
Illinois Association of School Boards pushes weaker Freedom of Information Act
IASB’s proposals include:
- Increasing allowable FOIA response time from five to 10 business days.
- Allowing denials for any request that is deemed “unduly burdensome.”
- Exempting employment applications of individuals who apply for high-profile positions.
- Eliminating requirement that public bodies give a detailed legal explanation when indicating why they are claiming an exemption.
In
a digital age where people can access and transmit information globally
in a matter of minutes, IASB wants to make it harder than ever for
citizens, watchdogs and the media to be able to get information they
need to hold government accountable.
With Illinois being the third most corrupt state in the country, this would be a horrible step backward in fighting the state’s corruption and negative reputation problems.
Here are some comments from around the state:
“...I’m a bit touchy
when I hear school districts want to make it more difficult for the
public to hold them accountable – or even know what they are up to.” —Scott Reeder, the Illinois Policy Institute’s journalist in residence
“Because sunlight is the best disinfectant, politicians now are feeling the heat, and as a result Illinois' transparency law is now under attack.” —Adam Andrzejewski, founder of For the Good of Illinois
Chicago Tribune: Change of election filing deadline
Bipartisan
legislation passed in Springfield this week to extend the deadline for
candidates to file nominating petitions for local elections in 2013.
The deadline was previously set for 6 p.m. on Dec. 24. This is a common
sense step and will save taxpayers money.
Other news
