All elected officials talk about it. Richard Eckstrom did it.
It was about two years ago that Eckstrom, the state’s chief accountant, established South Carolina’s first government transparency website, giving ordinary citizens unprecedented access to details about how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent. Now, with a few clicks of a mouse, South Carolinians can view details about the individual expenditures of more than 80 state agencies.
Last year, Eckstrom expanded his transparency initiative to include local governments. He launched a campaign to persuade cities, counties and school districts to begin posting their check registers on their websites, and began travelling the state to personally meet with dozens of mayors, county council members and school superintendents. To date, dozens of local governments in South Carolina - ranging in size from the small town of Turbeville to the city of Charleston and Greenville County - have begun posting spending details on their Web sites.
Because of the success of his transparency efforts, Eckstrom - one of the state’s leading opponents of the federal “stimulus” act - was chosen to chair the state’s Stimulus Oversight Committee, which was formed to track stimulus spending and guard against abuse and fraud. Shortly afterward, he began posting individual stimulus expenditures on his Web site - making South Carolina one of only a handful of states to do so.
Because of Richard Eckstrom’s efforts, state government is more transparent than ever.
“Allowing ordinary citizens to see how their tax dollars are spent improves the quality of government. Public officials are more careful about how they spend when their spending is subject to public scrutiny.” - Richard Eckstrom
Eckstrom is a CPA, and worked with the public accounting firm of Peat Marwick Mitchell - one of the nation’s largest public accounting firms. While working with the firm, he put together a proposal to audit the state’s finances. The proposal was accepted, and he pulled in CPAs from Greenville, Columbia, Charlotte and Atlanta to complete the monumental undertaking. The experience sparked an interest in public service, and gave him invaluable insights into state finances. He later sought and won the position of State Treasurer.
It was about two years ago that Eckstrom, the state’s chief accountant, established South Carolina’s first government transparency website, giving ordinary citizens unprecedented access to details about how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent. Now, with a few clicks of a mouse, South Carolinians can view details about the individual expenditures of more than 80 state agencies.
Last year, Eckstrom expanded his transparency initiative to include local governments. He launched a campaign to persuade cities, counties and school districts to begin posting their check registers on their websites, and began travelling the state to personally meet with dozens of mayors, county council members and school superintendents. To date, dozens of local governments in South Carolina - ranging in size from the small town of Turbeville to the city of Charleston and Greenville County - have begun posting spending details on their Web sites.
Because of the success of his transparency efforts, Eckstrom - one of the state’s leading opponents of the federal “stimulus” act - was chosen to chair the state’s Stimulus Oversight Committee, which was formed to track stimulus spending and guard against abuse and fraud. Shortly afterward, he began posting individual stimulus expenditures on his Web site - making South Carolina one of only a handful of states to do so.
Because of Richard Eckstrom’s efforts, state government is more transparent than ever.
“Allowing ordinary citizens to see how their tax dollars are spent improves the quality of government. Public officials are more careful about how they spend when their spending is subject to public scrutiny.” - Richard Eckstrom
Eckstrom is a CPA, and worked with the public accounting firm of Peat Marwick Mitchell - one of the nation’s largest public accounting firms. While working with the firm, he put together a proposal to audit the state’s finances. The proposal was accepted, and he pulled in CPAs from Greenville, Columbia, Charlotte and Atlanta to complete the monumental undertaking. The experience sparked an interest in public service, and gave him invaluable insights into state finances. He later sought and won the position of State Treasurer.
Our Best Choice
Comptroller Richard Eckstrom and officials from the city of Columbia and the town of Irmo discuss the importance of putting government check registers online.
