CookCountyEmployees.com and the limited value of transparency

On Monday, Cook County Commissioner Tony released his “transparency project,” CookCountyEmployees.com, a data base of names and salaries of some 25,000 County employees. Via Twitter, Peraica announced it as an “online database of county employees/vendors;” on Youtube he said it was “so that you know how your money is being spent” Peraica has stood out on the ethically-challenged Board for his crusade against corruption, and in favor of openness and “transparency.” He offers live reports, via Twitter, of Commission meetings, and uses YouTube to draw attention to the fiscal shenanigans of his colleagues on the Board.

Peraica’s goo-goo credentials are not in question. I do wonder, though, of the efficacy, and manners, of making publicly accessible a data base of County employees’ names and salaries. As Dan O’Neil, himself a leader in drive to make government data available and usable, often points out that most government employees do honest work that improves our lives. But I’m uncomfortable with the degree of transparency that CCE provides– the personal information almost feels hostile, and doesn’t carry with it the sense of appreciation and “gratitude” that undergirds related projects. More pragmatically, what value is it to me to know what nurse clinician B. Alston earns? Would it be more useful to know if she’s had any complaints, or commendations, filed recently? Of course, it I know she’s a Commissioner’s niece (she’s not, as far as I know), that could be interesting. As Carl Nyberg points out, however, “without knowing how people are connected, the data doesn’t tell the full story.”

The Internet’s potential for making government more open and responsive is of course exciting– even more so for those of us in Chicago. Perhaps my concerns about CookCountyEmployees.com and transparency are prosaic; perhaps they derive from the fact that I work in a sector that bends more to the opaque. In any case, we’re early in this government transparency game. In the end, we may decide that not all information is useful, or appropriate, to share.

[Update: On a higher plane, Joi Ito is doing some important out-loud thinking about innovation and government.]

[Update II: Thanks, GB, for the point. Related thoughts on efficacy of transparency, here.]

The Merry-Go-Round Continues: Who Replaces Quigley on the Cook County Board

I’m just back from the celebration at the Red Ivy, where Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley claimed the Democratic nomination, and in effect won election, to replace Rahm Emanuel in Congress. As this race fades, Chicago political junkies shudder at the prospect of no elections for 11 months,; to bide the time, we turn to the question of who will replace Commissioner Quigley on the County Board. Quigley’s 10th District runs from Pratt to North, from the Lake to about 2 miles west, with a long stretch in West Rogers Park. A quick glance at the elected officials who could be candidates include State Rep. Harry Osterman, Aldermen Manny Flores and Tom Tunney, and Quigley’s vanquished foe, State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz. Cook County Clerk David Orr and Commisoner Board of Review (I don’t know what that does) Joseph Berrios, both of whom seem to have good gigs, also seem to  reside in the district. A wildcard could be Naisy Dolar, who came close to knocking off 50th ward Ald. Bernie Stone last year.

How Will Obama Effect the Cook County State’s Atty. Race

The latest issue of the Chicago Reporter (not yet online) posits that Obama enthusiasm could boost Ald. Howard Brookins’ chances of becoming the first African American to lead the State’s Attorney office here. They point to note that the March 2004 primary, in which Obama was nominated, had a turnout that was “5.6 points” more than that of March 2000. The highest upswing was in 10 largely black wards and 5 dominated by white liberals.