Firms paid nearly $1M to lobby Cook Co. officials

A government website for analyzing lobbying activity in Cook County has added a new feature that allows users to download all reports onto one spreadsheet.

County Clerk David Orr says the tool makes analyzing lobbying easier than ever and increases transparency in government.

The Lobbyist Online site shows lobbyists were paid nearly $1 million during the first half of 2011. Lobbyists reported 632 contacts during that period. A contact can be a phone call, meeting, email or letter.

Reports show lobbyists contacting county officials about the budget, the proposed closure of Oak Forest Hospital and contracts.

County Commissioner Larry Suffredin was the most lobbied official, with 44 contacts reported.

The site can be searched by lobbyist, firm, topic, how much they're paid and who they lobbied.