Tag: Transparency

So-called Pork Barrel spending is back in Albany politics, making a quiet return this year in the form of what are now called legislative earmarks. Millions of dollars of these earmarks are being doled out for a variety of projects by both legislative chambers. And as Capital Tonight's Nick Reisman shares, it should come as no surprise that good government advocates aren't thrilled with the earmark system, and they're calling for more transparency while legislative leaders defend the program. Read More

New York City firefighters and fire officers who retired during the 2015 fiscal year were eligible for average pensions of $113,341 pension, a nine percent increase over the previous year, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center's transparency website. Read More

There is plenty of room for improvement across Upstate New York when it comes to the online services local governments provide. When the Empire Center for Public Policy issued its SeeThroughNY Local Government Website Report Card a year ago, Utica, Syracuse, Albany and Buffalo all received Fs, while Rochester fared only slightly better with a D. Read More

Score one for the watchdogs. The fiscal-watchdog group the Empire Center had sued the MTA after it refused to produce its 2014 payroll data for months despite a FOIL request. But the MTA recently caved and has now settled out of court, agreeing to not only open its books but pay its foe’s $2,860 in legal fees. Read More