From the Rock Island Argus and Moline Dispatch (Editorial):

Oct. 26, 2007

Editorial: Make government Open Book

Whether it’s sheets on the line or elected officials in the halls of government, sunshine well applied is the best antiseptic.

The laundry reference is particularly apt now that Comptroller Dan Hynes has unveiled www.OpenBook.ioc.state.il.us, a searchable database which shows contractor information side-by-side with campaign contributions. The site is particularly welcome given that Senate President Emil Jones’ intransigence has stalled the momentum of House Bill 1, which would provide overdue curbs to pay-to-play politics. The House unanimously approved the bill and a healthy majority of senators signed on to it, but Sen. Jones won’t call it.

While the comptroller’s new site, which links contract information from Mr. Hynes office to data from the State Board of Elections, won’t eliminate the dangerous influence campaign money has on contracts, it will help to shine a light on it wherever it lurks. No wonder it is being applauded by the folks at the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the Sunshine Project and the Better Government Association.

Absent a law to prevent big money contributors from doing business with the politicians they finance, an instrument for tracking such actions is the next best thing. "We’ve got to find a way to eliminate ‘pay to play’ politics in Illinois," Mr. Hynes said. "“The only way we’re going to do that, and then hopefully restore some confidence in government, is to make public officials more accountable for their actions."

Visitors can search a contractor’s contributions to elected officials or more narrowly search contractor’s contributions to an individual. The site is self-explanatory and easy to navigate. For example, we typed in Ameritech and Jones and had quick access to contributions the telecommunications giant gave to Emil Jones and others of the same last name. A partial name is enough to get started. If we have one complaint, it’s that you cannot easily search by an elected official’s name to quickly determine how many state contractors have given to that individual and how much they’ve given. Such information could prove invaluable at election time as candidates evaluate whose best interests their lawmakers appear to be serving. Others may have other suggestions. Mr. Hynes said he welcomes them all. If you’ve got an idea to make the site better, use the sites contact link to pass it along.

Mr. Hynes is right to say the state’s continued failure to pass House Bill 1 is both "unacceptable and extremely frustrating." Thanks to his office and the good government folks at the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the Better Government Association and the Sunshine Project, at least voters can more easily "connect the dots" between contributions and contracts. "In the absence of a statutory ban on contributions from those who have state contracts, what we can do is create more transparency, more awareness, better information for watchdog groups, the media, citizens so that people know who’s doing what," he said, adding, "Perhaps that information will create pressure to enact the right legislation that will prohibit it. There is a shame element here that could keep politicians from awarding contracts to contributors or seeking contributions from contractors."

The cynics among us might argue that "shame" and politics are incompatible. Even if they’re right, the site provides voters an invaluable tool for making their own judgment about whether big money has influenced a particular public servant.

Open Book allows the public to "follow the money," Mr. Hynes says, and "that should make public officials more accountable to the people they serve. In turn, it is my hope that some measure of the public confidence in state government that has been lost over the years can be restored."

We salute Comptroller Hynes for taking a step in that direction and we urge Sen. Jones to follow in his footsteps and call HB 1 for a vote.