by Will Compernolle

Cook County will now provide a searchable online database regarding lobbyists' activities, according to the Daily Herald.

The site, at cookcountyclerk.com, lists all 188 registered lobbyists in the county, what they're lobbying about, who they're contacting, and what they're being paid.

Cook County Clerk David Orr said the site makes the lobbying registration process easier and more useful because it's paperless, available to the public 24 hours a day, requires reporting within 48 hours, and discloses a previously unavailable database that can be searched by keyword, lobbyist or official.

According to the Cook County Clerk's website, the database is the result of the Lobbyist Sunshine Initiative, a package of amendments proposed by Orr and Bridget Gainer (D-10th district) that was unanimously adopted by the County Board on October 6th, 2009. Cook County Clerk David Orr said, “We're now getting information already that we didn't get before...We believe it's quite successful in trying to shed light on who's trying to influence government.”

The website is a step in the right direction in making Cook County government more transparent. As Rep. Gainer said, the new database “gives taxpayers the upper hand.”

To read the whole Daily Herald article, click here.