Last month CB reported that City of DeKalb’s legal counsel had denied a request under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the names of City Council members who are currently participating in DeKalb’s health insurance plan. I subsequently filed a Request for Review with the Illinois Attorney General, which you may recall is…
Tag: transparency
Brady & His Tax Returns
While the hoo-ha over State Sen. Bill Brady’s reluctance to disclose his tax returns is understandable — we are the transparency crowd here, after all — I also understand his reluctance under the circumstances. Additionally, the actual content of the returns don’t concern me much. We all are careful to pay only what we have…
Boone County Watchdog
Citybarbs is fixing to say goodbye to the Wogen Watch blog and wouldn’t you know it, here’s another to take its place on the blogroll. Check out the Boone County Watchdog run by Bill Pysson, who also has an interesting story to tell as a former District 100 School Board candidate. Pysson is prolific, mixing…
Transparency Checklist
It is hardly a piece of cake to be a member of the Sunlight Foundation‘s organization for state and local bloggers known as the Citizens for Open Government (COG) group. I kid you not. The number of e-mail messages can get crazy some days. Most of the group are “transparency professionals,” such as newspaper reporters…
City Must Reveal Aldermanic Appointee Applications
It’s Chicago we’re talking about, but it bodes well for the very similar DeKalb Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests made by our local dailies, does it not? March 5, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — The Illinois Attorney General’s office says the Mayor’s office must turn over job applications for the two vacant Alderman positions. The…
Advice & Consent
From Chapter 2 of the DeKalb Municipal Code (PDF p. 2): a) Pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 (f) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois (1970) and a Referendum Election held pursuant to Illinois Compiled Statutes, (65 ILCS 5/28-4), when vacancies in the office of alderman are occasioned by reason of resignation, failure…
Streetscape Subcontractors 2009
It has come to my attention that folks are asking whether former alderman Victor Wogen, as himself or as Masonry Works, LLC, landed city projects beyond the six post-demolition masonry repair projects of 2008. The answer is yes. In the fall of 2008, the 2009 “streetscape” project was approved, with Elliott & Wood as the…
Northern Star Fighting for 3rd Ward Names
The Northern Star has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain the names of the persons considered by the mayor for the vacated Third Ward alderman spot. With the questionable past of the 3rd Ward, it is interesting to see that the city has decided to withhold this information from the public,…
Guest Post in Sunlight Foundation Blog
Transparency Growing Pains in DeKalb, Illinois More about the Sunlight Foundation, which CB has linked to for a couple years under the “Good Government” blogroll heading.
Free FOIA Seminar in DeKalb
NIU will host the first of about a dozen November seminars covering key changes to Illinois transparency laws on Monday, November 9, in the Holmes Student Center. The informational seminars, offered by the Illinois Attorney General’s office, are free and intended for both public officials and other residents who are interested in changes to the…