Although Wisconsin may be above Illinois in geographic proximity, Wisconsin currently ranks higher in corruption (risk), according to project data released by the Center of Public Integrity.
Could it be true?
The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism completed the Wisconsin portion of the assessment, relying upon extensive interviews and research to measure 330 Corruption Risk Indicators across 14 categories of government, Kate Golden with The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism reported March 19.
According to the reports, Wisconsin received a C- (rank among 50 states: 22) and Illinois earned a C (rank among 50 states: 10). Golden’s report points out that Wisconsin’s score is actually an improvement since the creation of the Government Accountability Board in 2008.
Wisconsin’s best marks were for lobbying disclosure and internal auditing, earning B’s.
But, Wisconsin earned an F for redistricting and a D- in public access to information and state pension fund management.
D- for access to public information? This sure was timely — considering Sunshine Week just ended March 17. As previously reported on Schu’s Crossing, Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote the importance of open government and freedom of information.
Speaking of Sunshine Week, this year Schu’s Crossing made the following public information requests:
1. To Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s office, requesting copies of emails sent to/from his office from March 12-14, 2012.
2. To Democrat Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s office, requesting copies of all visitor logs and calendars from the mayor’s office from Feb. 1-29, 2012.
3. To the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, requesting copies of public inquiries about Wisconsin’s reformulated gasoline requirement from May 1, 2011 to March 14, 2012.
To date, Schu’s Crossing has received preliminary responses from all three offices acknowledging the requests but the data has not yet been produced.
Stay tuned!
