New York can be a corrupt and backroom-dealing state when it comes to politics. Of course, there are plenty of politicians that make that reality happen, but there are a few, or should I say a couple good ones that stand out among the rest. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and AG Andrew Cuomo have shown to the public that they care about transparent government and the Empire Center is rewarding them for their good deeds.
From The Empire Center:
New York has been notorious for hiding information from the public in years past. Just ask Joe Bruno how he feels about it. In our increasingly web-based world, it should be easy to put out information that holds our leaders accountable. Yet many would rather conduct the people's business in private. Sites like Open Book NY and Project Sunlight combat that secretiveness and they are rightly commended for that work.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:CONTACT: Lise Bang-Jensen
(518) 434-3100
Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli are being honored with the 2008 SeeThroughNY Award for Promoting Transparency in Government, the Empire Center for New York State Policy announced today.
The award recognizes their innovative web sites that make public information more accessible to New Yorkers. Each is receiving a plaque topped by a transparent piggy bank, the logo of SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency web site.
In January, Cuomo unveiled Project Sunlight, New York State government’s first transparency web site. Project Sunlight offers easily accessible information about elected officials, campaign finance, lobbyists, legislative member items and registered corporations and charities.
In June, DiNapoli released Open Book New York, which contains spending information for 3,100 local governments and more than 100 state agencies. The site also offers an inventory of more than 60,000 active state contacts. All the available data can be loaded into a PDF file or an Excel spreadsheet.
“With Project Sunlight and Open Book New York, Attorney General Cuomo and Comptroller DiNapoli have taken noteworthy steps toward making public information more accessible. Their sites wet the public’s appetite for further government transparency, which they promise in future phases of the sites,” said Lise Bang-Jensen, senior policy analyst for the Empire Center.
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