“The Empire Center has created a model for active taxpayer involvement in promoting fiscal transparency.  Websites like SeeThroughNY are the future of good-government efforts at the national, state and local level.  Improved fiscal transparency will treat New York taxpayers with long-overdue respect.   It will protect against waste and corruption.   And it will make politicians more accountable.”
Grover Norquist 
President, American for Tax Reform

“The Empire Center deserves tremendous credit for this ingenious new website.  Thanks to the Center’s hard work, New Yorkers will have an invaluable new tool to examine the spending practices of their state government.  While we ‘tip our hat’ to the Empire Center for their efforts, we ‘wag our finger’ at the failure of state government to provide this service.  New York has fallen behind in the effort to offer 21st Century access to state government.  The Paterson Administration should use the Empire Center’s pioneering effort as a template for the state and move quickly to offer comparable web access to all of its critical data.”
Blair Horner
Legislative Director, New York Public Interest Research Group

“The Empire Center has made what is likely the most extensive FOIL request since the law became effective in 1974.  Most importantly, its effort resulted in resounding success and demonstrates the impact and utility of information technology in gaining access to information significant to every New Yorker.”
 Robert J. Freeman
Executive Director, NYS Committee on Open Government

“The Empire Center’s SeeThroughNY website lifts the veil of secrecy that too often covers government spending in New York. The information on this website is especially valuable at a time of fiscal crisis, when tough choices need to be made and every tax dollar should be spent wisely and efficiently.  The Empire Center should be applauded for providing taxpayers a tool that government has failed to provide.”
Kenneth Adams
President & CEO, The Business Council of NYS 

“SeethroughNY takes transparency in government to a new level.  Now citizens will be able to access vital information about state and local government.  With this website, well-informed citizens can keep government more responsive and accountable.  We applaud the Empire Center for developing this important site.  Wow!”
Barbara Bartoletti
Legislative Director, League of Women Voters of NYS

“SeeThroughNY is a powerful new tool that New Yorkers can use to hold their elected leaders accountable for the hard-earned tax dollars entrusted to them every year.”
Elizabeth Lynam
Deputy Research Director, Citizens Budget Commission

“SeeThroughNY is an impressive tool that cannot fail to inform its users, making them better able to participate meaningfully at all levels of government.  As the adage states, “knowledge is power” and, with the knowledge which SeeThrough NY allows New Yorkers to marshal, power can be exercised by the people to help government perform effectively and efficiently. The tremendous amount of thinking and work that clearly went into the site make it a model for state and local governments to follow.”
Susan Lerner
Executive Director, Common Cause NY

“The Empire Center’s new transparency website not only provides the public with consolidated, searchable, and exportable information about important state expenses such as payroll, contracts, and member items; it also shines a light on the deficiencies of information maintained and provided by state government.  Citizens Union applauds the Empire Center for providing this crucial information as a means to raise awareness of the need for a more open and transparent government and making more financial information available for public view and scrutiny.”
Dick Dadey
Executive Director, Citizens Union