Illinois and Wisconsin look for ways to improve on transparency

Illinois and Wisconsin are spending this Sunshine Week improving each state’s public access to government records.

In order to increase accountability and openness in Illinois’ state government, Gov. Patt Quinn announced the launch of the Sunshine Illinois Accountability Project web site.

The web site breaks the public records into six categories, state government,  education, health and safety, elections, consumer and transportation.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan created the office of public access counselor in 2004 to make sure governments in the state are following the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act policies. And to help the state’s second public access counselor, Cara Smith, the state passed stronger FOIA laws that went into effect Jan. 1.

In an interview with the Southtown Star, Smith explained that because of the changes to the FOIA laws, governments will be held more accountable in providing public records.

The most difficult challenge, Smith explained, was distilling any fear that the changes would negatively affect local governments.

“We had some just hostile, hostile, hostile audiences, hundreds of public servants gathered to tell me how I was going to be putting people out of work,  how the world was literally coming to an end,” Smith said. “A lot of the lead-up to the first of the year was fear about what this was going to bring, and I don’t think the fear has been realized.”

When prompted with a question about FOIA requests, Smith said her initial response is to ask the individual what procedures they currently implement, then make any needed corrections.

An Appleton,  Wisconsin’ Post Crescent editorial stressed the importance of transparency in government.

It stresses that Sunshine Week was created to help the public gain access to public records, and the government should be striving to repair “tattered trust” when it comes to transparency.

“Many government bodies would prefer to operate, at least partially, in secret,” reads the editorial. “It’s harder work — and potentially embarrassing — to open up the records, the meetings, the transcripts.”

To get involved with Sunshine Week, contact the state or regional coordinators for your area or e-mail Sunshine Week coordinator Cristal Williams Chancellor at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Editorial