Mr. Jindal and Doctor Bobby: The Transparent and Not-Transparent sides of the LA Governor

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is a well-liked guy, but you wouldn’t know that from speaking to some transparency advocates.

Jindal certainly started off in the right foot. He signed an executive order and sponsored a state law that gave the state of Louisiana a transparency website, the Louisiana Transparency & Accountability portal, known as LATRACT. Jindal’s office was also responsible for the Legislature passing legislation that has in the past two years opened up more of the government, including the governor’s office.

Or maybe it hasn’t. Because several Republican senators allege the legislation has tightened the governor’s control over records, when the spirit of open records laws presumes openness. These senators have proposed bills that would lessen Jindal’s control over records, which they see as a practice that encourages secrecy.

One senator, Senator Robert Adley, has been very vocal in disagreeing with the governor on his transparency record. The senator has stated “The Louisiana Legislature ranks at the top in disclosure, which I am proud of. The executive branch in Louisiana ranks dead last.” The senator also said transparency is important because secrecy is often an element in corruption but “sunshine is the best disinfectant.”

Jindal certainly had his heart in the right place with his vocal support of transparency, and the efforts he has undertaken to make other government offices meet high transparency standards. However, with charges of secrecy sprouting up again and with , the Governor should see this call for more transparency as an opportunity, not as an accusation.

The governor should embrace attempts to open his office’s records so that citizens have a check on the government. Ensuring citizens have this power is part of the government’s responsibility to citizens, and as the executive, the governor cannot brush aside calls for more transparency. While there are instances where documents cannot be released, these instances are the exception. The rule is openness.

We hope that the Governor continues in the same spirit of his LATRAC initiative, which is to include citizens in the conversation and to understand that collaboration goes both ways. What are your thoughts on Governor Jindal’s transparency efforts to date?

Gov Bobby Jindal rejects stimulus dollars for Louisiana

In an interview with David Gregory on Meet the Press, Governor Bobby Jindal states he is not accepting his entire cut of the stimulus package in order to keep Louisiana competitive. Also, he does not philosophically agree with the stimulus package. He advocates for more tax cuts and “targeted temporary spending”.

Jindal emphasizes that the best way to grow the economy is through tax cuts.

“I think we just have a fundamental disagreement here. I don’t think the best way to do that is for the government to tax and borrow more money. I think the best thing they could’ve done, for example, was to cut taxes on things like capital gains, the lower tax brackets, to get the private sector spending again.”

He questions how certain spending project in the bill will even stimulate the economy.

“What would be more helpful from Washington is less unnecessary spending. How does $300 million for federal cars, $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, how is spending like that going to help our economy? How’s that stimulus?”

Governor Jindal rejected stimulus dollars for unemployment insurance because it would result in raising taxes on businesses.

“The $100 million we turned down was temporary federal dollars that would require us to change our unemployment laws. That would’ve actually raised taxes on Louisiana businesses. We as a state would’ve been responsible for paying for those benefits after the federal money disappeared.”

St. Charles Parish gets the memo

What is that? The sweet smell of better government? A few months ago, Sunshine Review sent out its evaluation of Louisiana parish websites, and, as a direct consequence, St. Charles Parish is updating updated its website to include its budget and how to obtain public records. From the Times-Picayune:

The new site also contains more information than the old site, partly in response to a review of the parish’s old Web site by the Sunshine Review, a Chicago nonprofit that lobbies for more transparency in government. Simpson said the parish added the parish’s budget, audit and other financial information to the site in response to an August 2008 review of the Web sites of Louisiana parishes by the Sunshine Review, which recruits citizens to grade public Web sites on the amount of information they contain.

Thank you, St. Charles Parish, for being responsive and accountable to the taxpayers in your parish. Now who’s next???

A tale of 2 headlines

This one is sure to play out in many states during the upcoming legislative sessions.

“Louisiana faces $2 billion shortfall next year; $345 million deficit in current budget”

“Teachers union seeks $2,200 raise in ’09″

This is a summary of Sunshine Review’s evaluation of LA school district websites:
-12 sites didn’t disclose contact information for board members
-35 did not list a meeting schedule
-72 had no budget information
-80 did not list information on how to obtain public records
-80 did not disclose any information about lobbying activities

With results like that, do schools deserve more money in Louisiana? Disclose, then ask for a raise. Taxpayers deserve to know how and where their money is being spent, especially in trying economic times.

LA parish websites lack information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2008

For more information:
Isabel Santa, (305) 431-8381

Tackling Parish Websites Can Enhance Transparency

A new website helps Louisianans know more about their parish websites

Chicago, IL – In an effort to ensure good government across the country, the Sam Adams Alliance launched Sunshine Review, a new, wiki-style website focused on evaluating the accessibility of government information and data on government websites. Recently, Sunshine Review users evaluated all 64 parish websites, finding a lack of transparency in over a third of them.

“Sunshine Review was created to make sure citizens nationwide have access to the information they need on government websites,” said John Tsarpalas, vice president of the Sam Adams Alliance.

According to a parish evaluation report on Sunshine Review, many Louisianans are in the dark on who is spending their tax dollars and where it is going. Currently, 25 parish websites don’t provide details about elected officials or their contact information, 33 don’t list meeting schedules or minutes, and 33 don’t post yearly budgets.

“Sunshine Review is performing a vital service to the citizens of Louisiana by identifying the shortcomings of local government websites,” said Kevin Kane, president of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. “How can we become informed voters without access to such basic information? These wiki-style websites will play an important role in the movement to reform state and local government and Sunshine Review is leading the way.”

Launched in July 2008, Sunshine Review wants citizens everywhere to easily be able to locate basic facts about local governments on city, county and school district websites. The “My Government Website Project” on Sunshine Review has already initiated ratings of local government websites in 10 states. The website evaluation project is part of Sunshine Review’s No Taxation Without Information campaign.

“Technology should be used to make government more transparent than ever. We need to break this informational iron curtain between government and the people,” Tsarpalas said.

During the legislature’s ethics special session earlier in the year, Governor Jindal passed legislation that would increase transparency by creating a searchable database of state spending online.

About Sunshine Review
Sunshine Review is a Wikipedia-like website that enables people to find and share information about whether state and local governments are effective, easy to reach, open, honest and responsible with taxpayer money. Sunshine Review is a project of the Sam Adams Alliance, a national non-profit organization that strives to educate and inform citizens about political issues through new media tools.

For more information about Sunshine Review or to request an interview, please contact Isabel Santa at (305) 431-8381 or izzy@samadamsalliance.org

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Louisiana Transparency: Still under construction

Although Louisiana has become Ground Zero for transparency progress, there is still a long way to go until state and local governments can really develop a reputation for clean and efficient government. After reading local LA news, I have a couple of suggestions for any public servant’s transparency “to do” list.

#1- Develop written procedures and guidelines for government credit cards BEFORE waste and theft occur. Audit statements monthly.

Example you should not follow: Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price has recently found himself in hot water (again) when an audit found he had misused his city credit card to purchase private vacations and other personal expenditures. Some city councilmen commented publicly that they had no knowledge these expenditures were taking place. My solution? Put all expenditures online for journalists, taxpayers, and even the city council members to scrutinize and take a proactive stance against corruption and sneaky spending with public funds.

#2- Give public information to the public, with or without request. No questions, no excuses.

Example you should not follow: Robert Morgan of TheTownTalk.com points out in a recent column that government employees often do not understand basic open records law, and may choose to delay the delivery of requested documents in error. Mr. Morgan names names in his article, citing examples from Rapides Parish Schools and the city of Alexandria.

I will continue to watch Louisiana’s media and new media for updates on how they are finding their way to the land of milk, honey, and open government.

Why be transparent? More influence for less money.

The Shreveport Times printed an op-ed from Ernest LeBlanc Jr., director of the Louisiana Budget Project, applauding Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal for his work on new transparency legislation. The piece also did a good job spelling out why transparency is important to all citizens.

From the article:

The budget is one part of state government that can seem overwhelming and hard to understand, but state spending directly affects the present and future of each Louisianan.

# State spending affects teacher’s pay raises. Quality teachers provide quality education for our students, who will take what they learn in the classroom into their future as the leaders of our state.

# State spending affects health care access for low- and moderate-income families, who have a better chance of lifting themselves out of poverty if they are healthy.

# State spending affects work force development, and a strong work force attracts business and industry that in turn provides jobs and boosts our economy.

LeBlanc also mentions that citizens that know and understand government can have more influence in policymaking. More influence for less of my tax dollars? That’s change all taxpayers can believe in.

LA legislators: Loving their no-bid contracts

The Louisiana legislature hit the brakes on their forward momentum on transparency this week in voting to allow State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek distribute no-bid educational consultant contracts. With overwhelming majorities from the House (9-25) and Senate (37-0), the bill now goes to Governor Jindal’s desk. From the AP:

Under current law, educational consultants whose services top a $50,000 price tag must be hired through a competitive bidding process. Pastorek wanted educational consultants hired by the Department of Education added to a list of “professional services” – like doctors, engineers and accountants – for which contracts can be awarded without competitive bidding.

Lawmakers worked on several versions of the language, finally settling on a measure (House Bill 891) that would give Pastorek the authority to skip the bid process for contracts up to $250,000 and only for one budget year. The consultants must hold doctorate degrees in education.

Competitive bidding not only gives the bidding process transparency, but also encourages public scrutiny on bidders and ensures taxpayers receive the best price on state services.

Weekend Round-up

Here’s my transparency weekend round-up:

Connecticut: The bill I mentioned here became law last week with Gov. Jodi Rell’s signature on the steps of the Capitol, where she took her oath of office. The legislation allowing a judge to reduce or revoke the pension of a corrupt public official will go into effect October 1. More from Newsday.com.

Ohio: The Buckeye Institute released a podcast with Americans for Prosperity’s Jack Boyle that discusses transparency and fiscal restraint.

Pennsylvania: Legislation advanced in the Senate to require all taxpayer-funded advertising to include the dislaimer “Paid for with Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars.” Read more here.

Louisiana: Indicted Congressman William Jefferson defies ethics advocates by running for re-election.

Hope you’re looking forward to another great week of transparency reporting.

Fraud-ridden LA voter drive investigated

About a week ago, I posted about a Dem voter registration drive in Louisiana that had some major credibility issues. Enough red flags were raised that a few people are checking into the validity of the registrations, and the group behind the drive.

The Advocate reported Secretary of State Jay Dardenne was scheduled to meet with VIP, the group responsible for numerous faulty registrations, last Tuesday. It also described the state of the registrations:

Dardenne said cards are being submitted for people already on the voter rolls and “a significant percentage are being submitted without necessary information to register someone and “blatantly false information.

Two cards received in Caddo Parish had George W. Bush as the voter applicant with a 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. address in Shreveport, Dardenne said. Other cards have been filed for prisoners who cannot vote and dead people. In Jefferson Parish, a voter registration card was filed for the registrar of voters.

“We want to safeguard the integrity of the process by making sure any group seeking to register Louisiana voters provide specific information and it’s not bogging down registrars offices with work premised on false information,” Dardenne said.

Little Green Footballs blogs on VIP’s Muslim Society ties. You can gather more information about VIP from their website.

Something stinks in Louisiana, and it’s not the week-old gumbo…

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