Daily Herald's Editorial: Closing the curtain on state government

From yesterday's Editorial on open government in Illiniois,

Open government matters at the state level, too, and the Associated Press has issued a scathing report on the Blagojevich administration’s tightening grip on records and information that should be available to the public.

AP political writer John O’Connor, in a new report, cites several instances of the administration’s refusal to release public information. Among them:

• The state Department of Corrections will not release information about staffing levels on the day last May when inmates at a Dixon prison held hostage and reportedly raped a prison psychologist.

•The Department of Central Management Services will not identify those who applied for jobs that eventually were given to politically connected job candidates.

• Illinois State Police will not make public the arrest report of a Department of Corrections chaplain pulled over for drunken driving in a state-owned vehicle.

The AP lists more examples, but these suffice to draw a troubling portrait of an administration that has moved in the wrong direction after initially pledging to usher in new and higher standards for open government and accessibility.

And from John O'Conner in yesterday's SJ-R.com,

Many states have tightened public access to documents in recent years out of concern over terrorism, identity theft, medical privacy and other issues. A nationwide review by The Associated Press found that states have passed more than 600 laws restricting access since Sept. 11, 2001.

But in Illinois, the Blagojevich administration's restrictions began roughly around the same time it was disclosed that federal prosecutors were investigating hiring practices and a campaign-contribution kickback scheme at a state pension system.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff denied anything has changed.

These names especially interesting...

The Department of Central Management Services will not identify those who applied for jobs that eventually were given to politically connected job candidate

...as I would think they'd have a pretty case against the State of Illinois.