Transparency would pay dividends
March 29, 2009
OPINION
The [Sunbury] Daily Item
The truth may be the best defense for elected and appointed officials who fear scrutiny of spending may distract attention from worthwhile initiatives. Former Bucknell President Gary Sojka serves on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and said a recent flurry of criticism of the board's spending feels "like a cheap shot."
The expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in slots revenue. In previous years it created tax cuts for many property owners and helped revive the horse racing industy in the commonwealth.
Public service (particularly in the form of a gig on the Gaming Control Board) has its perks, make no mistake about it. For one thing, the pay seems handsome when compared to the take-home of most Valley residents. Those serving on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board make $145,000 a year. Board members have also taken junkets to Rome and Las Vegas, locations that would strike most people as fantastic vacation destinations. Add on state-provided vehicles and meal expenses and concerns raised by critics certainly seem worth consideration.
"This board is out of touch with what they have been appointed to do, namely to serve the people of Pennsylvania. The continued abuse of their position is sickening and must come to an end," said Rep. Mike Vereb, a state legislator from Montgomery County.
Vereb and fellow lawmakers want the state to create a searchable database for all state travel. The idea has such merit, it may be worth broadening. Why limit the database to travel expenses? The state should create a database of all spending. The process may be expensive to launch, but the spirit of thrift provided by public scrutiny would quickly pay dividends. "Educational trips" to Vegas would probably be less likely, for instance.
President Barack Obama is demonstrating a similar commitment toward accountability by placing the economic stimulus plan online and allowing citizens to view the progress at www.recovery.gov. Likewise, the state has developed a recovery Web site at www.recovery.pa.gov.
The stimulus Web sites remain works in progress, but they demonstrate that government can use the Internet to embrace transparency and show the public that taxpayer funds are being used wisely
The [Sunbury] Daily Item
The truth may be the best defense for elected and appointed officials who fear scrutiny of spending may distract attention from worthwhile initiatives. Former Bucknell President Gary Sojka serves on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and said a recent flurry of criticism of the board's spending feels "like a cheap shot."
The expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in slots revenue. In previous years it created tax cuts for many property owners and helped revive the horse racing industy in the commonwealth.
Public service (particularly in the form of a gig on the Gaming Control Board) has its perks, make no mistake about it. For one thing, the pay seems handsome when compared to the take-home of most Valley residents. Those serving on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board make $145,000 a year. Board members have also taken junkets to Rome and Las Vegas, locations that would strike most people as fantastic vacation destinations. Add on state-provided vehicles and meal expenses and concerns raised by critics certainly seem worth consideration.
"This board is out of touch with what they have been appointed to do, namely to serve the people of Pennsylvania. The continued abuse of their position is sickening and must come to an end," said Rep. Mike Vereb, a state legislator from Montgomery County.
Vereb and fellow lawmakers want the state to create a searchable database for all state travel. The idea has such merit, it may be worth broadening. Why limit the database to travel expenses? The state should create a database of all spending. The process may be expensive to launch, but the spirit of thrift provided by public scrutiny would quickly pay dividends. "Educational trips" to Vegas would probably be less likely, for instance.
President Barack Obama is demonstrating a similar commitment toward accountability by placing the economic stimulus plan online and allowing citizens to view the progress at www.recovery.gov. Likewise, the state has developed a recovery Web site at www.recovery.pa.gov.
The stimulus Web sites remain works in progress, but they demonstrate that government can use the Internet to embrace transparency and show the public that taxpayer funds are being used wisely
