Transparency is one of the keys to good governance in the public sector. It involves proactive communication, civic engagement and access to information, to include meeting documents and useful data. Transparency builds trust between the government and its citizens by demonstrating honesty and openness. 

The higher the level of government, the less transparent government seems to be. At the local level of government, there are no layers of insulation protecting elected officials from the decision making process. All the more reason why public officials at the local level understand and place value in the importance of being transparent in the public sector. As voters, we have a shared responsibility to hold all public officials accountable for their actions. 

There are three aspects of transparency in particular that I would like to point out. Accessibility, proactive communication, and civic engagement are equally important. Accessibility is ensuring that information is available in a way that is easy for the public to understand and use. Publishing government data in open formats , whether it be online through government websites or in the form of printed hard copies, allows for public analysis and scrutiny. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows the public to request information from public agencies. These requests can be burdensome and time consuming to respond to, so the more information that the government readily provides to the public, the less burden it places on us all. Proactive communication is regularly communicating government activities and decisions to the public. Public meeting agendas and minutes make meeting information readily available to the public. The City of East Peoria also shares recordings of its meetings that can be found online. Social media has become one of the primary means to proactively share information with the public in a widespread and timely manner. Civic engagement is something all levels of government struggle with. Seeking public input is not as easy as it seems. I have publicly reminded citizens for years that elected officials often view silence as consent. That being said, complaining without offering a viable, sustainable solution is ineffective. The most effective way to communicate with public officials is to attend a meeting in-person and share your thoughts in a respectful, professional manner or do so privately through an email or over the phone. After all, your input could be the difference between good and bad policy making decisions. 

There are many benefits to government transparency. When the government is transparent, the public can better understand its operations and make informed decisions. Transparency fosters trust between the government and its citizens. Openness and scrutiny can help prevent corruption and misuse of power. Citizens can and should hold public officials accountable for their actions. One of the main benefits is that transparency encourages public participation in government affairs. 

In East Peoria, we view transparency as one of the keys to good governance in the public sector. Just as important as it is for all levels of government to be more transparent, we the people need to hold elected officials at every level of government more accountable for their actions just the same.

Always grateful,
John