A More Transparent Cook County

By Sebastian James at September 22, 2011 | 1:00 pm | Print

An excerpt from a piece written by Celeste Meiffren from Illinois PIRG

Yesterday, Cook County released an unprecedented amount of data on their website: http://data.cookcountyil.gov/.

Using the same technology as the City of Chicago’s Data Portal, Cook County has posted data related to economic development, county finances, public safety, property and taxation, and more.

At the press conference yesterday, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said, “When I was sworn into office in December, I said that this is the time to open Cook County government to its citizens; to make County government work for its residents. This site puts those words into action,” said Preckwinkle. “I know that the historic lack of transparency and accountability has eroded the legitimacy of Cook County government in many residents’ eyes. Quite simply, a government that is transparent and accountable to its residents is a more effective government.”

Well put. It’s exciting to see both the City of Chicago and Cook County creating new, innovative ways to inform and engage with citizens about important local issues including public safety, economic development and especially government spending…

Click here for the rest of the story

Features celeste meiffren, data.cookcountyil.gov, open data