Transparency

". . . how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies. . . . The project coordinator should then determine what sorts of dealings these individuals have with the Federal Government and how we can best screw them (e.g., grant availability, federal contracts, litigation, prosecution, etc.)" - John Dean memo, Aug. 16, 1971 David W. Marston and John Yoo Punishing political enemies? So Nixonian, so last century. Yet, 40 years later, the Obama administration found a good government way to pursue the same objective.

TRENTON - A measure that would require New Jersey's government-related authorities, commissions, and other agencies to have an online presence will go before both houses of the Legislature this week. The bill would require the agencies to put certain information online - including financial data and meeting minutes - to provide more transparency about their mission, spending, and activities. It would implement changes recommended by the state comptroller, whose office issued a report that found more than one-third of New Jersey's independent local authorities and commissions did not have websites.

After the nation endured eight years of an administration with a reputation for excessive secrecy, promoting open government must have seemed like a political slam dunk to our new, basketball-loving president. As a candidate and as president, Barack Obama has promised to bring so much openness to the federal government that one might have expected Washington to be as transparent as a fishbowl. But instead of restoring public confidence in government, Obama's rhetoric on transparency seems to have raised unrealistic expectations.

"An honest government has nothing to fear from transparency. " So said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in an address on ethics and spending reforms to his state legislature on Feb. 10. That's right. Jindal intends to give his much-derided state an honest government. When he took office in January, Jindal issued an executive order putting the state's checkbook online - a searchable, user-friendly database that lets citizens see where their tax dollars go. After his February speech, the legislature seconded his order with a bill ensuring the site outlasts a Jindal administration.

THEY'LL JUST ABOUT bend over backwards in public, like a traveling band of Olympic gymnasts, to show people how serious they are now about transparency and honesty. The School Reform Commission, the School District of Philadelphia, the mayor, state education officials - they all say that they understand how fed up people in this city are from the scandals and controversies, from the overwhelming sense that special interests get served first. Ackerman. Archie. Evans.

"In war, truth is the first casualty. " - Aeschylus As often as commentators criticize the Bush administration for its failure to sufficiently shape the strategic conditions to succeed in Iraq, others criticize the media for failing to give proportionate attention to positive stories related to the war. Given the nature of the news business, this is unlikely to change. But there is another front in the information war that the military can affect. Instead of letting insurgents and al-Qaeda operatives exploit the rare lapses of U.S. soldiers - or make false accusations about lapses - to boost recruiting or turn public opinion against the coalition, the military needs to take control of this area of operations.

Jerry Sandusky's attorney wants the judge in his child-sex-abuse case to delay the start of his trial until mid-July. The former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach filed a motion Monday that says he needs more time to contact and interview witnesses, subpoena records, and hire experts. Sandusky, 68, faces 52 criminal charges that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years. He has denied the allegations. Two weeks ago, Judge John Cleland tentatively scheduled jury selection in the trial to start May 14 in the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.

IF YOU THOUGHT former Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's severance package was outrageous, you probably won't be surprised to learn that she earned Pennsylvania's top public-employee salary in the last two years. A study released yesterday by Sunshine Review, a nonprofit organization that advocates transparency in state and local government, revealed the salaries of the highest-earning public employees from eight selected states. Seven of the nine who received the highest Pennsylvania public salaries worked in Philadelphia.

Apparently immune to irony, new City Council President Darrell L. Clarke on Wednesday promised more transparency in Council's budget and then would not say how it would happen. Clarke, like Council presidents before him, rejects the idea of Council's holding a hearing on its own budget. The question comes up during every budget cycle: Why does Council take nearly two months to ask detailed questions about the budgets of city departments and agencies such as the Mayor's Office, Managing Director's Office, Police and Fire Departments, the Sheriff's Office, and the First Judicial District, but never answers questions about how Council's own budget?

THE NUTTER administration agrees with Dawn Stensland's One Great Idea (Feb. 16) that the public should know how its tax dollars are spent. To that end, we provide easy access to the city's budget information. The public can: See the detailed budget on the city website at www.phila.gov/finance/reports-BudgetDetail.html . It lists anticipated costs for, among other things, salaries, leases, rents and telecommunications for every division of every city department, as well as prior-year expenditures for these items.

State governments lack transparency and accountability to citizens and remain at high risk for corruption, according to a new study of all 50 statehouses. The state doing the best? New Jersey. Not a single state received an A in the State Integrity Investigation ranking, a product of the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International, and Global Integrity. "It's telling that no state received an overall grade of A," said Caitlin Ginley, a staff writer for the Center for Public Integrity and a project manager on the study.

Apparently immune to irony, new City Council President Darrell L. Clarke on Wednesday promised more transparency in Council's budget and then would not say how it would happen. Clarke, like Council presidents before him, rejects the idea of Council's holding a hearing on its own budget. The question comes up during every budget cycle: Why does Council take nearly two months to ask detailed questions about the budgets of city departments and agencies such as the Mayor's Office, Managing Director's Office, Police and Fire Departments, the Sheriff's Office, and the First Judicial District, but never answers questions about how Council's own budget?

A PPARENTLY immune to irony, City Council President Darrell Clarke yesterday promised more transparency in Council's budget and then refused to say how that will happen. Clarke, like Council presidents before him, rejects the idea of Council holding a public hearing on its own budget. This question comes up during every budget cycle: Why does Council take nearly two months to ask detailed questions about the budgets of city departments and agencies such as the Mayor's Office, the Managing Director's Office, the police and fire departments, the Sheriff's Office and the First Judicial District but never answers questions about its own budget?

Jerry Sandusky's attorney wants the judge in his child-sex-abuse case to delay the start of his trial until mid-July. The former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach filed a motion Monday that says he needs more time to contact and interview witnesses, subpoena records, and hire experts. Sandusky, 68, faces 52 criminal charges that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years. He has denied the allegations. Two weeks ago, Judge John Cleland tentatively scheduled jury selection in the trial to start May 14 in the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.

IF YOU THOUGHT former Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's severance package was outrageous, you probably won't be surprised to learn that she earned Pennsylvania's top public-employee salary in the last two years. A study released yesterday by Sunshine Review, a nonprofit organization that advocates transparency in state and local government, revealed the salaries of the highest-earning public employees from eight selected states. Seven of the nine who received the highest Pennsylvania public salaries worked in Philadelphia.

Democratic state lawmaker Jewell Williams is the new sheriff in town. With more than 70 percent of precincts reporting, Williams, a state representative from North Philadelphia, was leading his Republican opponent, Joshua R. West, by more than a 3-1 ratio. Green Party candidate Cheri Honkala was a distant third. "We campaigned on transparency and open records. We are now going to work very hard to keep those promises," Williams said Tuesday night. In other races, Ronald Donatucci will continue his 32-year career as register of wills.

Praying for Joe Frazier in latest fight The news that boxing legend Joe Frazier, Philadelphia's own, is seriously ill with liver cancer has hit this area like a left hook to the ribs. On an electric night 40 years ago, the world watched as Muhammad Ali and Frazier, two undefeated heavyweight champions, fought for the unified title. The fight was one of those transcendent events, a boxing match that was far more than a battle between two men. It was a battle between the values of two generations.

THEY'LL JUST ABOUT bend over backwards in public, like a traveling band of Olympic gymnasts, to show people how serious they are now about transparency and honesty. The School Reform Commission, the School District of Philadelphia, the mayor, state education officials - they all say that they understand how fed up people in this city are from the scandals and controversies, from the overwhelming sense that special interests get served first. Ackerman. Archie. Evans.

YESTERDAY'S meeting with the School Reform Commission was a far cry from tempestuous past sessions. Gone were the blank stares and pregnant pauses of commissioners when questioned by the public. Instead, cordiality prevailed among the commission and Acting Superintendent Leroy Nunery. This new approach, Nunery said, marks a turning point for the oversight body and for the district. "We need to heal, there's no question about it," said Nunery. Parent Christine Carlson wondered whether officials had learned from past behavior.

THERE'S a lot of data on how City Council spends taxpayers' money. But it's not always easy to get your hands on it. The city's 17-member legislative body keeps its spending and financial priorities veiled in secrecy. It doesn't hold public hearings on its $15 million budget and provides no data for the city's annual phonebook-size budget-detail report. Zack Stalberg, president of the watchdog group Committee of Seventy, said Council members should undergo more budget scrutiny.