Government transparency is the key to holding elected officials and agencies accountable to taxpayers. For this reason, the Empire Center annually files hundreds of Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests and posts the results publicly on its SeeThroughNY.net database. Over the years, numerous agencies have obstructed access to public records, unnecessarily redacting information or simply ignoring FOIL requests.
This new timeline traces five of the legal battles the Empire Center has fought since 2009 against public agencies that refuse to allow taxpayers to see where their money is going.
Click here to view the full timeline.
You may also like
Legislative Spending in Campaign Year Includes $7 Million in Postage
State lawmakers spent $7.3 million on postage for campaign-style mailings to constituents in the six-month run-up to last year’s elections Read More
Cuomo Administration Approves Additional $45 Million in Pork Spending in 2020, Analysis Finds
The Cuomo administration approved more than $45 million in new pork-barrel capital grants last year. Read More
NYC Public Educator Pensions Rise Again
Average pension benefits paid to newly retired public educators in New York City rose again in 2020, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net for New York City Teachers’ Retirement System (NYCTRS). Read More
Average Pension Benefits for Retired Public Educators Hit New Record High
Average pension benefits for newly retired public educators most of the Empire State hit a new record high in 2019-20, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net for New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS), which covers public education professionals outside New York City. Read More
FDNY Adds More $200K Pensions As New Career Retirees Average $140K
More than three-quarters of last year’s retirees from the City of New York’s Fire Department (FDNY) were eligible for six-figure pensions, with 40 of them eligible for pensions over $200,000 according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Authorities Payroll Added to SeeThroughNY
The latest payroll data for a total of 13,615 employees at 54 different New York State public authorities was posted today at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Empire Center Ranks Local Taxes, Spending and Debt Across NY
The Empire Center today released its annual “Benchmarking New York” report, comparing and ranking government tax, spending and debt levels for hundreds of counties, towns, cities and villages throughout New York. Read More
FDNY Pensions Average More Than $129,000
The 471 Fire Department of New York (FDNY) officers and firefighters who retired in calendar year 2018 are eligible for average pensions of $129,259, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
"...the Empire Center is the think tank that spent months trying to pry Covid data out of Mr. Cuomo's government, which offered a series of unbelievable excuses for its refusal to disclose...five months after it (the Empire Center) sued, Team Cuomo finally started coughing up some of the records." -Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2021
SIGN UP TO READ ABOUT THE ISSUES IMPACTING NEW YORKERS.