Enforce existing transparency laws

I received an e-mail from my Senator Dan Duffy requesting support of a new, local government transparency bill, SB37.

I agree with the senator more transparency in local government is long overdue and the key for good government, especially in Lake County. But I disagree with how my senator is going about getting it.

Simply passing more, new laws won’t produce local government transparency. Current state laws that encourage transparency are already being blatantly trampled by certain local officials in Lake County.

Examples have been provided where there is no enforcement of these state laws clearly being broken, leaving local politicians to continue to break our laws.

Without any teeth, without any ramifications to local politicians who knowingly continue their nonsense, the introduction of any new laws, no matter how “good” they are, is simply hypocritical, political posturing.

To demand and actually get transparency from local government officials, why not start by focusing on the enforcement of the existing laws, including with local politicians?

Kirk Denz

Ingleside