As an elected official, I understand that the people of Illinois have put their trust in me to govern responsibly, use their money wisely, and focus on the their best interests – not my own.

That’s why during my service as a state representative, I supported sweeping ethics reform legislation that changed the way campaigns are funded, eliminating “pay to play” loopholes and paving the way for a better, more honest government.

But if we’ve learned nothing else over the last year, we’ve learned that there’s still more work to do.

Salary Disclosure

David has announced a proposal to open up government and increase transparency by creating a publicly available, online database of the salaries of elected officials at all levels of government, including municipal, township, county, state and federal.

This new online database would be added to the Illinois State Comptroller’s website in 2011 under Miller’s proposal, which comes in the wake of a national controversy over the revelations that some city officials in California were secretly earning up to $800,000 per year.

“Taxpayers deserve to know what all their elected officials are being paid since they are the ones footing the bill,” said Miller. “It is extremely difficult for any Illinois resident to find out how much government officials earn. We should never forget that elected officials are employed by the taxpayers of Illinois. By putting salary information online we will expose government excess and bring Illinois government into the 21st century.”

TIF Disclosure

As a way to finance economic development and community improvement projects, cities and towns across Illinois create Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts. While TIFs have been a catalyst for reviving many blighted areas, in many cases, there is less oversight on how that money is used.

By law, all municipalities are required to report how they are using TIF funding to the Comptroller. I will go a step further and share that information with the people of Illinois through an easily searchable database, with clear explanations of exactly how that money is being allocated and the impact it’s having on local communities.

Cleaning up the Contract Process

The passage of the ethics reform legislation that I supported last year is critical in cracking down on pay-to-play, but the enforcement of the law is just as important. As Comptroller, I will be a vigilant watchdog over the contract process, ensuring that no illegal activity resulted in the awarding of a contract.

I will join forces with the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal (ITAP) to expand the Open Book program, providing Illinois residents with even more information about how the state is spending their money. I will create a performance rating system of all state contractors to make certain that contractors are hired based on their qualifications; not their connections. The database will also include a catalogue of every contractor’s political donations, raising red flags at the first hint of any pay-to-play activity.

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