Well, most of them, anyway. Look up your favorite campaign committees today! Here’s a sample of what you’ll find.
Police Station Contractors
Here’s the response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed late last month for the list of contractors/subcontractors who are building our new police station.
Trial to be Set for Free Speech Lawsuit with Implications for Local Government Meetings
The two sides in a settlement conference on a federal lawsuit regarding public input at public meetings were deemed “too far apart” to come to terms, so it is expected a trial date will be set at a conference hearing June 21. Two allegations from Count II of the suit, having to do with possible…
Ethics “In a Nutshell”
Robert Wechsler, director of CityEthics.org, has just released a new intro to local government ethics called “Local Government Ethics Programs in a Nutshell”, in which he has distilled an 800-page digital book and years of blog posts into a 27-page resource for public officials, journalists and others interested in good government. Here’s a bit out…
DeKalb’s New Towing Policy a Slap to Checks and Balances
I was reading an article at DeKalb County Online about the City of DeKalb’s new towing policy. Comments on the story included a reference to this tidbit from Section 35.05, Orders for Towing and Impounding of Vehicles by City: f) Towing Policy: The Chief of Police is and shall be authorized to approve changes, amendments…
DeKalb’s Website Transparency Mystery Solved
Just in time for Sunshine Week, I’ve re-scored the City of DeKalb’s website transparency score from scratch. Does it come anywhere near the Illinois Policy Institute’s score of 88.1 points? No. But at least I have found out why. Check out the scoring rubric, here. This is the one I used both in December 2010…
About the City of DeKalb’s Website Transparency Award
*As promised, I’ve continued pursuing the mystery of last month’s awarding of the Illinois Policy Institute’s website transparency award. Here’s an update.* I’ve been in communication with Brian Costin, director of the Local Transparency Project at the Illinois Policy Institute, about the award for website transparency he gave last month to the City of DeKalb.…
Fazekas Launches Campaign for DeKalb City Clerk
Click here for the campaign Facebook page, new today. Click here for my answers to the Daily Chronicle editorial board’s questions for DeKalb city clerk candidates. Watch for my guest post at DeKalb County Online, coming soon. I do not have plans for a campaign website, and of course I will not use City Barbs…
Library to Borrow $6 Million as Part of “Fundraising Strategy”
Once again let me express deep, deep skepticism that DeKalb Public Library will actually raise the stated goal of $6 million in private donations to contribute to its expansion costs. Witness the latest step toward putting it on the taxpayers. In order to meet a looming June 30 deadline, the DeKalb Public Library will borrow…
This is the Shape of DeKalb’s Housing Recovery
Dekalb Zillow Home Value Index Dekalb real estate info Go play with the graph and other local stats by clicking here. [Tip o’ hat to: D.J.]